Nobody Said It Was Easy
by Serpent of Slytherin
Summary: Hermione's now 25 yrs. old and working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries. What will happen when she's assigned to uncover the mysteries behind the Veil? HG/SB
1. What Happened to Hermione Granger?

**Disclaimer: **Clearly, this isn't mine. Duh.

**A.N.** Here we go! I thought I'd try a different pairing again. Hermione/Sirius. Dunno how well this is gonna go, so bear with me if it sucks at first. This is totally new to me. Here's a bit of a summary for you:

_Now twenty-five years old, Hermione Granger works in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. Her latest assignment is to try to uncover the mystery behind the Veil. What she discovers will be truly remarkable, but most importantly, she discovers that everyone deserves a second chance, including herself._

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter One: **What Happened to Hermione Granger?

She was whimpering again. That happened a lot. More often than not, when she slept, her dreams were plagued with terrible visions. Visions she had no desire to see, to relive again.

She tossed around in bed, trying to flee the invisible force that was chasing her. It was always the same dream, or some variation of it anyway. She could feel herself trying to rise up from the deep depths of slumber, trying to escape the dream, and escape the all-too-true ending.

With a sharp intake of breath, she jolted awake, sitting straight up as she gave a shake of her head to clear it.

"Bloody hell," she muttered, wiping the cold beads of sweat from her brow with shaking hands.

She sat there for a few minutes, trying to calm her racing heart and return her breathing to normal. She glanced at her alarm clock to see it was a little past one in the morning. She threw her covers off with a small groan. There was no way that she was going to get back to sleep without a little tea to help her calm down further.

She pulled her purple fuzzy robe on over her light cotton pajama pants and Quidditch t-shirt before padding over to the door and pulling it open slowly, hoping that the ancient wood would remain silent. She tiptoed out into the hallway, peering left and right down the long hallway before lighting her wand to venture down the stairs.

Hermione knew the house well enough by now that she missed the spots on the stairs that creaked ominously. She had no desire to wake the family slumbering away peacefully upstairs. She had no desire to talk to anyone, really.

The sounds of number twelve, Grimmauld Place settling around her filled her ears. She couldn't help but manage a small grin when she passed the wide open space on the wall in the front hall where that vile portrait once hung. No thanks to Harry, Sirius Black's mother was removed permanently from the wall and stashed in a dark closet in the attic, where the only company she had was herself.

Hermione crept down the stairs to the basement kitchen as quietly as possible. She had only one mission to accomplish at the moment and that was to get her tea and return to her room as quietly as she could. She was in no mood for company because she knew the conversation would turn to the same subject it always did when someone caught her up and about at such a late hour in the night. She needed to talk to someone about it, and when she did, the dreams would stop.

"Bollocks," she muttered darkly when she thought about talking to someone about the dreams. She wouldn't wish these dreams on anyone, not even to discuss what the dreams were. No one should ever have to hear about that.

Soon, the kettle was on the stove and a cup was waiting on the counter next to it, ready to be filled and taken back upstairs. Hermione leaned against the counter, her arms crossed and her eyes boring a hole in the floor. She tried to think of anything other than the dreams. She tried to think about work, but that was really quite depressing. Hermione loved her job quite a lot, but lately, the subject matter of the things she dealt with oftentimes had her coming home in a foul mood, not wanting to deal with anyone and just wanting to go shower and crawl into bed.

She jerked her wand at the kettle when it started to whistle in order to prevent someone upstairs from waking up. She poured the hot water on her tea bag and added some sugar before giving it a stir. She stuck her wand in the waist band of her sleeping pants before picking her steaming mug up and retreating back to her bedroom, careful not to make any noise along the way.

* * *

Hermione got up a few minutes before her alarm went off at five early in the morning. Soundlessly, she moved around her room, throwing her dark jeans and black t-shirt on, pulling the covers up on the bed, and gathering up her paperwork for the work day. She paused just long enough to yank her lace-up boots on and tie them securely.

Without looking back, she crept silently from the room. There would be no stopping in the kitchen this morning, as was usually the case every morning. She had no desire to be interrogated about her night, knowing full well that the conversation would lead once more to the idea of getting help. She would Apparate to downtown London and stop and the nearest coffee shop for her usual cup, then it was on to the dark alley around the corner from the coffee shop, where she would Disapparate from in order to reappear in the Atrium of the Ministry.

Hermione took a deep breath of the crisp morning air once she stepped away from number twelve. It was early spring, and the air still had a bit of a nip to it yet. Paying no mind to the chill the cloaked her, Hermione took off at a brisk walk to a nearby alley to Disapparate.

Reappearing in downtown London momentarily shook her. The peace and tranquility of an empty Grimmauld Place was no match to the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. Hermione quickly shook her head to clear it and set off at her brisk pace once more, ducking into her coffee shop to get her cup of coffee before she continued on to the Ministry.

The Atrium of the Ministry was no better than outside. Newsboys stood every few feet, selling the daily edition of the _Prophet_. Owls flew here and there, Ministry workers streamed all around, and to cap matters, there was the heightened security to deal with. Hermione stood in line with her fellow workers, waiting to pass by the security wizards at the desk scanning everyone with their Probity Probes.

She was cleared ten minutes later and set off once more for her post. The lifts were crowded, as they usually were in the mornings, but nevertheless, Hermione crammed herself in with ten or more other Ministry workers.

"Hermione! Hey, Hermione! Wait up!"

The grilles had snapped shut by the time Harry Potter reached the lift. With an apologetic look, Hermione had enough time to mouth her apologies to her best friend before she slid out of sight.

She sighed. That really wasn't how she wanted to start the day with her friend. She knew she'd hear about it later, no doubt, but it was what it was. There was a time when she would have cared deeply about offending the people she cared about, but that time had long passed.

"Department of Mysteries," announced the cool female voice that inhabited the lifts.

Hermione stepped off the now very much empty lift and walked down the hall toward the plain black door at the end. Her first day in the Department had forced her to relive some very intense memories, and it took her nearly a year to get used to the fact that it was her new home away from home. Even now, she still got the creeps from some of the rooms inside the Department, especially if she was pulling a late shift and it was only her.

As soon as the plain door shut behind her, the room began to spin. Hermione shut her eyes, relieving her of the annoyance of seeing blue streaks in the darkness from the flaming blue torches that lined the walls.

"Show me the way to the offices," Hermione commanded the room once it had stopped.

She went through the door that opened on her left and took the narrow staircase down to the office area, where she was sure to find her fellow Unspeakable, Adam Reese. She wasn't disappointed. Adam was at his desk, dictating to a quill that skated across the parchment in front of him. He looked up when he heard her footsteps.

"G'morning, love," he said cheerily with a wide grin.

Hermione merely rolled her eyes and proceeded to dump her armful of files on her desk.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," he teased.

"Why don't you take your quill and-"

"Just kidding! So what's on the agenda today, love?"

"Reese, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me love? We're coworkers, seriously. Purely professional ring a bell?"

It was Reese's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, anyways. What's on your agenda today?"

"I have a report to finish over my studies in the Room of Thoughts and I need to do more research on the effects of the Time Turners on a wizard's overall life expectancy and-"

"You can forget about all that," Reese interrupted with a wave of his hand. "You've got a meeting to go to."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "A meeting with who? Unless it's important, I'm not going. I have too much to do today."

"Oh, I think it's important. Here, this came a few minutes before you got here," Reese said, handing over a folded bit of parchment.

Hermione took it and read it over quickly, a look of surprise crossing her tired face. "A meeting with the Minister? What's this about?"

Reese shrugged. "Be sure to let me know once you find out."

Hermione gave him a look. "Depends if the Minister gives me permission to divulge the information. It might be of a sensitive nature."

Reese snorted back a laugh. "Oh please! We're both Unspeakables! We know what's at stake!"

Hermione's eyebrow arched once more. "What if it's something he wants only me to know?"

"Well, he's got a rubbish sense of time then. He should try sending his owls to you at your home, instead of the office, especially when I get here earlier than you do. Curious minds are alight with the craving to know what the secrecy is."

Hermione dropped wearily into her desk chair. It was far too early to be listening to Reese go on about something as menial as a meeting with the Minister of Magic himself.

"Reese, do me a favor, and shut up," she groaned, rubbing a hand over her face.

Reese shot her a contemptuous look and settled for clucking his tongue before returning to his parchment. He began dictating to his quill once more, though in a louder and more annoying voice. Sighing, Hermione cast her own Silencing Charm over her area to block him out.

It was barely seven in the morning and Hermione was ready for the day to be over. Putting up with Reese on a good day was tiring, but dealing with him after a sleepless night was borderline insanity. Maybe if she was lucky, the Minister was about to assign her to a different Department. That would be a blessing on both her and Reese, because if Reese didn't leave her the hell alone, she was pretty sure someone was going to get an _Avada Kedavra_ to the face, and it wasn't going to be her.

* * *

"Good morning, Minister."

"Ms. Granger! Excellent, excellent! Please, come in, take a seat. Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Something stronger, perhaps?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head before sitting down. "Much appreciated, Minister, but no thank you."

She settled back in her chair and looked at the Minister, who was smiling at her kindly. Far from being intimidated by the Minister of Magic Adair Cornwell, Hermione rather felt like she was in the presence of Albus Dumbledore. The Minister was about sixty, graying hair, neatly cut, cleanly shaven. He was not an intimidating person in the least.

"So, Minister, what brings me to your office today?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Ms. Granger, I've been discussing matters with a few of my colleagues, and we feel the time is right to open an investigation," the Minister said evasively.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "An investigation, sir? Into the Department of Mysteries itself? Sir, we haven't done anything wrong, have-"

Cornwell laughed. "Heavens, no! Calm yourself, Ms. Granger, this has nothing to do with how you and Mr. Reese conduct your affairs down in the Department of Mysteries. However, this is a rather important investigation. You see, we'd like you to find out as much as you can about the old archway, that is, I believe, what you refer to as the Veil."

Being told to investigate the Veil was the last thing Hermione was expecting. She simply sat there for a few minutes, stunned into silence. Cornwell chuckled at her.

"Not exactly what you were expecting, eh?"

Hermione had the decency to shut her hanging mouth. "Not exactly, sir."

"Well, if it's a problem for you, I'm sure Mr. Reese would be willing to do it," Cornwell suggested, knowing that Hermione would hate to hand over such an important task.

"No, sir! I can do it! It's just, well, it's a shock. No one's mentioned the Veil in a very long time, and Reese and I haven't so much as stepped foot into the Veil's room in over a year. We just thought that there was nothing more to it," Hermione hastily explained.

"We had thought that there was nothing more to it as well. But, as no one's examined it closely in a very long time, we feel the time is ripe to open another investigation into it. Besides, you're one of the best and brightest we've had in that Department in a while, and my colleagues and I feel that you might have more luck with such a daunting task."

"Do I have a specific time frame, sir? Hermione asked, sitting up straighter in her chair. She wanted to begin as soon as possible.

Cornwell laughed. "Oh no, you may take as long as you'd like to figure out the Veil's mysteries. I daresay you'll have your work cut out for you."

"Thank you, sir, that's very generous of you."

"And as I know you're itching to get straight to work, you are dismissed. One last thing, though. I expect a report of your initial findings on my desk in two weeks."

Hermione almost leapt from her chair. "Yes, sir. You can count on me."

"Very well. I'll be talking to you in two weeks."

Hermione left his office quickly, eager to return to the Department and begin an outline for her approach to the research. She was floored by the idea of investigating the Veil. Finally, she'd be able to prove her worth to the Ministry.

She found herself in an empty lift on the way back down to the Department of Mysteries. Her mind was racing. She was suddenly struck with the possibilities that could come from investigating the Veil. It had been ten years since Sirius Black disappeared behind the Veil. Ten long years. Hermione's heart skipped a beat when she thought of the possibility of bringing him back. As far as she knew, no one had ever returned from the Veil. Where they went, nobody knew. But it was common knowledge that it was impossible to return from it.

"Or is it?" Hermione muttered to herself absently as she scurried down the hall to the plain black door.

Hermione was so wrapped in her thoughts that she hardly noticed Reese sitting as his desk still, giving her the evil eye when she ignored him. He was clearly dying for information.

"Well?" he asked in a rather irritated fashion.

"Well what?" Hermione asked distractedly, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment with her head barely five inches from it.

"The meeting!"

"Oh, that. Yeah, lots to do."

"You're killing me, love," Reese grumbled, annoyed.

"Call me love again and I'll-"

"You won't do anything to me. We both know that you're secretly in love with me," Reese said airily, waving a hand through the air.

Hermione threw down her quill, disgusted. One look at Reese's face made her realize that was what he was aiming for. Complete and total distraction from what she was doing. She cursed him silently.

"All right, Reese. You've got my attention. What do you want?"

"What did the Minister want to talk to you about?" Reese asked eagerly.

Hermione sighed, rubbing her hand across her face once more. Conversations with Reese wore her out more than a week's worth of the office itself.

"He wanted to set me to a new task," she said simply.

"Which is?"

"He wants me to investigate the Veil."

Reese's jaw dropped. "The Veil? What the hell for?"

Hermione shrugged. "No one's ever had much luck with it. The Minister thinks I might."

Reese looked mildly indignant. "Just you? Not me?"

"Just me," Hermione confirmed, picking up her quill once more, knowing Reese was heading for a childlike temper tantrum.

"Why the hell-"

"Reese, if you've got a problem with it, take it up with the Minister. In the meantime, leave me alone so I can work," Hermione snapped, cutting off his tantrum and returning to her parchment.

Reese mouthed soundlessly like a fish out of water for a few seconds, then with a snap, closed his mouth and returned to the paperwork in front of him.

Hermione worked steadily through the afternoon without interruption. Slightly offended that he was considered less intelligent than Hermione, Reese left her alone. He called it a day shortly after four in the afternoon, giving her a rather short good bye before he left the office as quickly as he could.

Rather than worry about it, Hermione smirked slightly as Reese's footsteps up the stairs faded away. The man really needed to grow up a bit more before he tried to question the authority of the Minister. It wasn't her fault that the Minister chose her to carry out the investigation of the Veil.

At long last, Hermione finally threw down her quill and rubbed her tired, aching eyes. She'd been at it all afternoon, no lunch break or anything of the sort. She glanced at her clock and received a slight shock; it was nearly seven. She gave a quiet groan. She was surely going to hear about her tardiness to dinner when she got home.

As quick as she could, she organized all the notes she had taken during the afternoon and stuffed them into her messenger bag. She cast a secrecy charm over her desk just on the off chance that Reese would try snooping around for more information on the Veil. She shut off her desk light and left the office for the night, her stomach now rumbling angrily at being ignored all afternoon. Once she reached the Atrium, she quickly Disapparated for home.

* * *

She walked into the front hall of number twelve and smelled the deliciousness of dinner floating on the air. She sucked her saliva in and hurried up the stairs to deposit her work things in her room before heading to the basement for food.

Upon entering the kitchen, there was a high pitched squeal of delight, and then something small and warm wrapped itself around Hermione's legs, squealing all the while.

"Aunt Ah-my-knee!"

Hermione laughed and bent down to pick up the precocious three year old who had wrapped herself around Hermione's legs.

"How's my favorite Sophie today?" she asked the little girl, who was giggling and playing with Hermione's long brown curls.

"Good!" the little girl said happily. "Me and Mama baked cookies and played with dolls!"

Hermione smiled at her little goddaughter. She brought so much life and joy into Hermione's life. She loved her to pieces.

"You're late," came the admonishment.

Hermione cast a sheepish look at Sophie's mother. Ginny Potter tried to look stern in a clear imitation of her mother, but failed miserably as she cracked up at the look on Hermione's face.

"Long day at the office?" Harry inquired from his place at the table, where he had just finished his meal.

"A bit," Hermione sighed. "Sorry about this morning, if I would have known you were behind me, I would have stopped the lift from closing."

Harry shook his head. "No worries. I was early anyway."

"Here," Ginny said, handing over a plate of delicious stew. "Sit, eat."

Hermione took it gratefully and sank down at the table to eat. Ginny set a glass of pumpkin juice down next to her arm and sat next to her, surveying her critically.

"You look exhausted," she commented gently, peering at Hermione's face.

Hermione shrugged in a nonchalant sort of way. "Long day. I worked straight through the afternoon, no lunch break."

Ginny made a noise of disbelief. "Can't you slack off every now and then, Hermione? Really, is there a need to be a workaholic all the time?"

"Can't slack off," Hermione said around a chunk of beef. "New assignment from the Minister himself."

Harry's ears perked up in interest. "From the Minister himself? Wow, Hermione, that's really big."

Hermione nodded as she took a sip of her juice. "I know. That's why I can't slack off. He wants a report on my progress in two weeks."

Ginny and Harry looked slightly curious at the news.

"Is there a reason the Minister gave you the assignment specifically? Couldn't Reese help you?" Ginny asked after a short pause.

Hermione shook her head. "He seems to think I'd have more luck going it alone than to have Reese slow me down. The Minister thinks I'm well up to the challenge."

Harry looked sly. "I don't suppose you could tell us what you're working on, could you?"

Hermione pretended to look exasperated. "Now Harry, you know that as an Unspeakable, I cannot mention anything at all about what I'm working on."

He laughed at her long suffering tone of voice. "Just thought I'd ask."

Ginny stood up with Sophie in her arms. "Looks like this little one needs to go to bed."

Harry jumped up. "Let me take her. You've had her all day. Take some time to get off your feet, Gin."

Ginny smiled at him. "Thanks. You're the greatest."

Harry kissed his wife lightly before having the sleeping little girl transferred to his waiting arms. Carefully, he walked up the stairs without jostling Sophie.

Ginny sank back down into her seat. "You have no idea how much energy that child has."

Hermione grinned. She could only imagine what went on at number twelve during the day when she and Harry weren't home. She could easily picture Ginny chasing little curly-headed Sophie from room to room.

"She's a good little girl, Gin. You and Harry should be proud," Hermione said quietly, feeling a pang in her heart.

"Oh, we are. I should leave her to you for a day and see how you manage," Ginny said ruefully.

Hermione pushed a potato around her plate. Her stew was half eaten, but she wasn't very hungry anymore. The conversation shift had left her without an appetite. Without realizing it, she sighed deeply, causing Ginny to look at her with concern.

"Are you all right, Hermione?"

She picked her plate up and took it over to the sink. She knew Ginny would see it as an escape tactic and a way to avoid the question.

"Fine. Why do you ask?" Hermione tried to say lightly.

Ginny frowned. "Don't give me that innocent act. I know you're not fine. You haven't been sleeping again, have you?"

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest. Another defensive action. Hermione was getting pretty good at those lately.

"I'm fine, Gin. Really. Work's just been really stressful lately."

Ginny sighed and looked down at her hands. She really wished Hermione would open up to her. Hell, if she would just open up to anyone, they'd be making progress. She knew that Hermione had never allowed herself to grieve properly, and it was finally catching up to her, three years later.

"Hermione, please," Ginny begged quietly. "Just talk to me."

Hermione turned away from the redhead, feeling guilty. She hated when she caused Ginny more pain than she already felt. It was bad enough that she, Harry, and Hermione lived in the same house together, making the pain they all felt fill the house to a point beyond unbearable at times.

"There's nothing to talk about. You know I cope with things differently than you and Harry do," Hermione said in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"You haven't been coping at all!" Ginny cried, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Yes, I have," Hermione whispered fiercely.

Feeling her tears threaten and not wanting Ginny to see them, Hermione fled the kitchen, trying to hold her head up high and keep her dignity in tact. She ran into Harry on the stairs up to the second floor. He opened his mouth to speak, but she just shook her head at him and continued up to her room, where she shut and locked the door, having no desire to speak to anyone for the rest of the night.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, her hands shaking like mad and her head spinning. The desire to talk about it had been very, very strong just now. She almost allowed herself to open up for the first time in three years. The idea of finally talking about what happened was both scary and relieving. Maybe she had finally reached the point where she couldn't take it anymore. It was either talk about it or snap completely.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. She had to keep it together. She was Hermione Granger, she couldn't allow herself to break under the strain of things. She was strong and stubborn. Whatever her problem was, it would take a side bar to the more important things in life, like continuing to fight the war.

"Okay, time to think of something else," she muttered to herself, feeling the wrench of her stomach at the thought of the war.

Knowing she was far from sleep at the moment, she decided to work a little more on her notes for the following day at the Department. She was hoping to actually visit the Veil tomorrow as soon as she could. She had a few theories she wanted to try out in order to eliminate some possible solutions to solving the Veil's mysteries.

She again pondered the idea of returning Sirius Black to the real world once more. It was both thrilling and illogical; if no one had ever been brought back from the Veil before, what were the odds that a witch of twenty-five years old could bring back the infamous Sirius Black?

She took a moment to remember him as he was the last time she had seen him. She felt a violent pang in her heart that had nothing to do with her loss; the very idea of Harry losing the only father figure he'd had in his life had been horrible. She also felt bad that she couldn't tell Harry what she was up to now. She tried to quell her guilt by telling herself there was no good reason to get Harry's hopes up. If there was any chance at all of bringing Sirius back, she would ask the Minister if she could divulge the information to Harry. But until then, she'd remain tight lipped about the whole affair.

Hermione wondered what would happen to Sirius if she could bring him back. When Voldemort finally came out in the open, the Ministry realized the error in their ways and had granted Sirius a full pardon, posthumously. If Hermione was able to bring him back, he'd be able to live a normal life.

"But would he?" Hermione wondered aloud.

The Ministry wouldn't know what to make of a person returning from the Veil after ten years. Surely they'd want to keep him quarantined or something like that. Hermione shuddered at the thought. What if they locked him up in St. Mungo's for the rest of his life, running innumerable tests on him and poking and prodding him constantly?

At that, Hermione had to laugh. She was getting far ahead of herself. She hadn't even begun to fully map out the possibilities of the Veil's existence, and here she was assuming she could raise the dead. The Minister was right; she certainly had the ambition to get the job done.

She laid her quill down and corked her ink bottle, stifling a huge yawn with her hand. She decided she'd take a quick shower, then go straight to bed, where she hoped to get a full night's sleep for once.

While in the shower, she tried to calm her racing thoughts. The thought of being able to get close to the Veil tomorrow was exciting; if she could manage it, she'd go back to the office tonight to pull an all-nighter. Instead of thinking about work, she tried to empty her mind of everything she had felt today. She knew she'd have a better chance of sleeping soundly if she did.

Back in her room, she burrowed down under her covers, trying her best to keep her mind empty. At long last, she finally fell into a light sleep, her mind blissfully empty, though her heart ached from its long standing emptiness.


	2. The Investigation Begins

**Disclaimer:** Hey Jo, can we switch places for a bit?

**A.N.** I'm hoping that with time, you guys will show a bit more interest with this. I know it's kind of boring now, since we don't have Sirius yet, but I promise, it will get better. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated from you all. Thanks!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Two:** The Investigation Begins

A week had gone past since Hermione was first handed the assignment to investigate the Veil. In that time, she had amassed pages and pages of notes, had sent off a letter to Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts with a request to use the school library, and had spent just about every waking hour holed up in her office at the Ministry.

Today, she planned on visiting the Veil. She had a few ideas to test out, just for kicks. She had a feeling that the Veil's mysteries weren't going to be as easy to solve, but her theories were important to disprove if she wanted to move forward with more complex ideas.

At the moment, she was reclined in her office chair, her feet kicked up on her desk. She was dictating to her quill as she rested her head on the back of her chair, her eyes closed as she tried to remember every idea she'd had in the hours she was awake. She'd had a few ideas come to her in random, weird dreams, and she was now trying to remember those dreams, hence her closed eyes.

She indicated for her quill to pause for a moment as she gave a frustrated groan. What with the bizarre dreams giving her ideas and the reoccurring nightmares, it was very hard to concentrate on what was what. She dwelled momentarily on the nightmares, wondering if there was some kind of hidden clue represented somewhere.

Hermione gave a snort and suppressed a shudder as she remembered her bloody nightmares. She was starting to think that maybe it was a good idea to talk to someone about things. Ginny was right about one thing: she hadn't allowed herself to properly grieve over these three years. Maybe it would do her some good.

She shook her head to clear it. If there was one thing Hermione despised, it was showing weakness. That was why she had never properly grieved. Hermione Granger was a strong woman, to break down now would be failure in her eyes. She just had to get a better grip on reality and stop living in the past.

Hermione was startled out of her reverie by the arrival of a handsome tawny owl carrying a sealed scroll of parchment bearing the Hogwarts crest. Clearly excited, she took the scroll from the owl and offered it an owl treat, which it took eagerly and nipped her finger in thanks before it departed. With haste, Hermione ripped the scroll at the seam and unfurled it to read what Dumbledore had written.

_Hermione-_

_I should be more than happy to allow you use of the Hogwarts library. Whatever you need, I'm sure Madam Pince will be able to assist you. I should be delighted to talk to you about your endeavor soon. I have informed the Potters that a party is in good order for this Friday evening, and would request your presence promptly at seven._

_Yours-_

_Professor A. Dumbledore_

Hermione smiled in relief. This was the golden ticket as far as she was concerned. The library at school had never failed her before, and she hoped this wouldn't be the first time it would. Of course, any advice from Albus Dumbledore would be heeded with great respect. Friday evening would be the perfect time to discuss things. In the pause before dinner after the Order meeting, she could ask Dumbledore to retreat to the library at Grimmauld Place to show him her notes thus far. She had received permission from the Minister himself to discuss the investigation with Dumbledore. Perhaps the old man would know a thing or two about the Veil and could point Hermione in the right direction.

Of course, there would be the Order meeting itself to focus on when Friday evening arrived. Things weren't going to well with the War at the moment; Hermione had a nagging feeling that whatever news was revealed Friday evening, it wouldn't be good.

Hermione chose not to dwell on it. If there was the remote chance that she'd be sent on a mission, Dumbledore would let her know in good time. She just hoped that nobody had gotten hurt this week. She couldn't stand to bear another heartbreak.

"You look a million miles off in the direction of Pluto."

Hermione started and looked up into the somewhat concerned face of Adam Reese. She swore lightly as she returned her quill to its parchment.

"Don't bloody scare me like that, dammit," she admonished, giving her head another shake.

"Something important on your mind today?" he questioned as he too sat down at his desk and kicked his feet up.

"Yeah, this damn Veil," she muttered, shuffling her notes around, looking for her lost thread of thought.

"Any news of significance?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm going in there today to test a few theories out. Not entirely sure how things will work out, but it's important to eliminate what I can so I can proceed to the deeper stuff."

Reese nodded. "Well, if you need help, just say the word."

Giving up on trying to regain her train of thought, Hermione carefully filed her notes away and picked up her wand. She had to get out of the office area; what with her recollections of her nightmares, and the memories that provoked the nightmares, dealing with Adam Reese was not the best thing to do at the moment.

Then again, getting involved with Adam Reese in the first place wasn't the best thing to do. Hermione had been a little intimidated when she first started in the Department and Adam was helpful in her first few weeks. He had been in the Department for a little over four years when she arrived, so he knew the ropes of the job. She thought him to be sweet, if a little overenthusiastic.

She had joined the Department a few months after he'd been killed. Of course, with the deep wound that his death had left on her heart, Hermione was a tad vulnerable and clung to the first source of comfort that presented itself, this being one Adam Reese. Hermione thought it was brilliant that Adam had a keen sense of perception, and knew that she was suffering from something deep and dark.

Hermione knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help herself. Relationships with coworkers were almost taboo; somewhere along the line, someone was going to get screwed, and it was usually in the form of their job. Still, Adam was sweet and understanding, though he never got the entire story. He knew that she'd lost someone very close to her heart, and that she felt as though she'd lost half her heart with the death. He never pushed her for the entire story.

They dated for eight months. In a twisted way, Hermione was drawn to Adam because she was reminded so much of _him._ Adam was as goofy as he was, sometimes a tad bit clueless, but always impossible to stay mad at for very long. Adam was willing to hang in for the long haul if necessary, the same quality Hermione always loved about him. It was twisted and a tad bit wrong, but Hermione didn't care.

Perhaps she realized the whole affair was a mistake two months after she started sleeping with Adam. Hermione knew she was incredibly fucked up when all she could think about when she and Adam made love was him. There was no way that she could put up the false front she'd been harboring for those long months with Adam. He thought she was starting to return to normal; quite the opposite, really. Hermione was sliding deeper into depression, and it was getting to the point where she wasn't capable of hiding it quite so well anymore.

She broke it off with Adam when she realized she could no longer keep from cracking up. She didn't want to destroy Adam in the way she knew she could. She feared she would call out his name, not Adam's, when they made love. Adam was a bit of a sensitive bloke as it was, and if he heard a name shouted out in the throes of passion other than his own, Hermione was sure the poor man would never recover. So, as gently as she could, she told Adam that they had to stop seeing each other. She gave all kinds of excuses, most importantly being the idea of putting their jobs in jeopardy if they continued their affair.

Adam was sympathetic to her views, if not the littlest bit hurt that she had strung it out for as long as she did. It had taken them awhile, but slowly, they returned to their roles as friendly coworkers. That had been over a year and a half ago, practically a lifetime to Hermione. Since Adam, there had been no one. She had stayed single and alone, the loneliness driving its knife ever deeper on a daily basis.

Presently, she left the office with a wave and returned to the main antechamber of the Department of Mysteries. Once the walls stopped spinning, she entreated the antechamber to show her the door to the Veil's room. A door immediately behind her swung open. Clutching her wand a bit harder than she usually would, Hermione edged her way into the room and closed the door behind her.

She drew a sharp breath as she took in the room. It was like her fifth year all over again. She sat down on the stone seat directly in front of her and allowed the events of that night replay all around her. Up until a few years ago, the fight that night had been the most dangerous she'd ever been in, and that was saying something, as she was best friends with the Boy Who Lived. She didn't remember much from the Veil's room, as she'd been knocked out by one of the Death Eaters before the fight had progressed to this room. But from what she had been told by her other friends who'd been in this chamber with the Veil that night, she was able to formulate her own memories and versions of what had happened.

She opened her eyes again, drawing deep, even breaths. That was the past, this was the present. She had a job to do, and she needed to get started. Her name was Hermione Granger and she was going to be the first person to crack the mystery of the Veil.

She gave a small smile at that thought and stood up. Very carefully and very quietly, she took the steps down to the pit where the Veil stood on its raised dais, as old and ancient looking as ever. She stood for a moment, surveying the tattered Veil as it moved ever so slightly, as though a breeze she couldn't feel was moving it about. Wand still out, she edged all the way around the raised dais, taking in every square inch of the crumbling archway and its Veil. She noticed some strange symbols and markings that curved around the top of the archway and studied them for several minutes, not understanding what they meant in the least. She conjured a bit of parchment and a quill out of thin air and copied the markings and symbols down, intent on researching them when she had the chance.

Hermione set the quill and parchment down on the edge of the dais and settled herself cross-legged on the floor right in front of the archway. She leaned against the last step down into the pit and closed her eyes again. Careful not to make any sound, she began to listen. Harry had said he had heard whispers and voices when they had been in here that night in their fifth year. Hermione hadn't heard them then, but she was too busy worrying that they were all about to lose their lives to think about some silly archway with its tattered Veil and possible disembodied voices that spoke to Harry.

Hermione allowed her mind to relax and she breathed lightly, hoping to catch a strain of any sort of noise in the room. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but after awhile, she became aware of little noises that didn't make sense. Very faint sounds, like whisperings, began to reach her ears.

She drew another sharp breath and abruptly opened her eyes, clearly expecting to see people in the room with her. She jerked her head around to the left and right, but she was alone. Intrigued, she decided to test out one of her theories. Lifting her wand, she muttered a complex charm on her quill and parchment that would enable her to record all noises made in the apparently silent room during the night. When she returned to the room in the morning, she would be able to see if the noises were really soft voices whispering to each other, or if Hermione was just mental and hearing everything in her head.

Deciding she'd be stupid if she didn't at try her last theory, even if it made her feel like a bit of an idiot, she stood up again and stood right up against the stone dais. She held her wand ready, just in case, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello?" she called tentatively.

The Veil continued to sway serenely in its own breeze, but there was no response to her call. She listened intently, and thought that the whispering increased, but she couldn't be sure. She decided against looking at her enchanted parchment until morning so she wouldn't be thinking about what the recordings meant all night.

With a bit of a sigh, she walked up the steps and prepared to leave the Veil for the night. At the door, she paused and looked back at it. The archway stood, decaying and old, the Veil shredded to a point of falling away completely. She didn't know why, but she had an odd feeling about it. It was looked innocent enough, but Hermione was bugged by a slightly sinister feel. Holding back a shiver of might have been fear, she shut the door quietly behind her, closing her eyes as the antechamber began to spin.

* * *

Friday night at seven, Hermione found herself situated at a very crowded kitchen table in the basement of number twelve. The room was noisy and a bit stuffy, as twenty or so witches and wizards gathered for the latest meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione was very eager for the meeting to begin; she wanted to find out the latest news with the war, besides wanting the meeting to be over so she could speak with Professor Dumbledore on her latest findings with the Veil.

Hermione was situated between Ginny and Tonks. The three were chatting animatedly, catching up with Tonks on all the latest gossip. Tonks had been extremely busy lately; between missions for the Order and her regular missions for the Ministry, she was looking more than a little tired. On Tonks' other side sat her husband, Remus Lupin. He was deep in discussion with Harry about the latest mission Dumbledore had sent him on.

Hermione looked around to see who was still missing. Most of the regulars were there already; it looked like Dumbledore would be the last to arrive, as was usually the case. Across the table from her sat the Weasley twins and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione felt another pang as she looked at the elder Weasleys. Her memories were fighting their way to the surface, but Hermione wasn't about to let that happen, not right now.

At long last, Albus Dumbledore appeared at the foot of the stairs. Conversations instantly were cut off and everyone turned to look expectantly at their leader. He looked somewhat grave tonight, which didn't lift their spirits much.

"Good evening, all," Dumbledore greeted the kitchen at large.

"What's the news, Dumbledore?" Tonks asked wearily.

Dumbledore stood at the head of the table and looked around at everyone soberly. "As I'm sure you all know, this week has been rather difficult for the Muggle world. There was another outbreak of killings, somewhere in the neighborhood of around fifty killed."

There was an outbreak of dark mutterings around the kitchen, and Hermione felt her stomach lurch. It was getting very unsafe for her parents to stay in the Muggle world for much longer.

"Sir, should I be thinking about talking to my parents about going into hiding?" she asked.

Everyone's eyes focused on her with looks of mingled pity and concern.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "We do have wards on their house at the present. However, if you feel that the wards aren't enough, I'm sure we could come up with some other plan."

Hermione nodded, feeling the knot in her stomach lessen slightly. If there was one thing that she thought would be her undoing at the present, it would be the loss of her parents. They had been her steady rock for the past three years, helping her through her intense heartache, and to lose them now would mean a total breakdown on her part.

"What more, Albus?" Lupin spoke up, watching the old headmaster carefully.

Dumbledore sighed. "I have received new intelligence that Voldemort and his league are planning something of monstrous proportions."

Hermione glanced around at her fellow members, exchanging uneasy looks with Ginny and the twins. What could be worse than mass killings?

"What is it, sir?" Harry spoke up, the look on his face tense and worried.

Dumbledore looked around at them all again. "Voldemort is planning on infiltrating the Ministry. According to Severus, Voldemort has several well placed spies in several departments. His plan is nowhere near complete at the moment, although he is quietly gathering information from his spies."

So much for that knot in her stomach lessening. Hermione felt her stomach roll and tasted the nauseating bile at the back of her throat. Her life would soon be in jeopardy. Several of the people in the kitchen at the present moment would be in danger. Harry, Tonks, Lupin, Mr. Weasley. . .her stomach twisted viciously.

Ginny saw the look on her face and rested her hand on Hermione's arm in comfort. Hermione turned to look at her and saw the same look on her face mirrored in Ginny's. Tonks gave Hermione's other hand a squeeze, though she too looked just as worried.

"What's the plan, Dumbledore?" Mrs. Weasley asked quietly.

"At the moment, the most we can do is have our fellow Ministry workers here keep an eye on things. Keep an eye out for suspicious activity, watch closely those of the Ministry who haven't been employed long. Keep your heads down and your eyes peeled. Don't draw attention to yourselves. In the meantime, Harry, Kingsley, and Tonks will keep an eye on the Minister. There have been undetectable wards placed on his entire office area, but we cannot be sure those will remain intact. I have, of course, informed the Minister that there is a very good possibility of his life being in danger, and he too has taken appropriate measures. Until we have more information, this is the best we can do. Severus, do you have anything to add?"

Everyone looked over to Snape, where he was sitting with Minerva McGonagall in the back corner. He stood up from his chair, his usual sneer in place.

"That basically covers it, Dumbledore. Once I have received more information, I shall pass it on."

"Very well. Unless anyone else has something to add, I believe this meeting can conclude," Dumbledore declared in a tired sort of voice.

Talk instantly broke out as people began moving around the kitchen, either to leave for the night or to discuss this latest news. Hermione remained in her seat for several minutes, absorbing all the new information and wrestling down the giant knot in her stomach. Then she remembered her desire to speak to the headmaster about the Veil. She pulled her notes from under her chair and walked over to Dumbledore, who was talking to Kingsley and McGonagall. He broke off their conversation when he saw her approaching.

"Ah, Miss Granger. You wished to speak to me, correct?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, sir, unless, of course, you have important matters to discuss with Kingsley and Professor McGonagall."

The other two shook their heads and gestured for her to take the headmaster's complete attention.

"Could we speak in the library, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, of course, lead the way."

Once situated in the library, Hermione separated her files on the table in front of the headmaster and allowed him to view what she had accomplished so far. He studied her notes carefully, occasionally making a noise of assent or murmuring under his breath at the genius of Hermione's thought processes. Hermione tried not to look too pleased with herself.

"Well, Miss Granger, this is quite a start," Dumbledore finally said after going through all her notes. "You did say that you wanted my input on the matter, yes?"

Hermione nodded eagerly. "Anything you know, sir."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, eyeing her notes thoughtfully. "Well, it isn't much, I can tell you that. The Veil has been around for centuries, quite possibly since the times of Merlin. It is supposed to be the entrance to an alternate universe, so to say. No one has ever returned from it, as you know already. But that isn't to say that it is impossible to come back. As I believe the Minister has told you, no one has ever really studied the Veil for an extensive period of time. I imagine with the proper research and the right thought processes, a person could finally uncover the truth to the Veil."

Hermione nodded. "An alternate universe? How so?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm not sure, exactly. The only ones who would know would be those who have disappeared behind the Veil. And as no one has ever returned. . ."

"We don't know." Hermione tried to hide her disappointed look. Then she remembered she had one last piece of information to share with the headmaster.

"Sir, I tested out a theory, so to speak, two days ago. Do you remember the night Sirius Black disappeared behind the Veil?"

The light that normally seemed to shine in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. "Yes, I do remember."

Hermione eyed the headmaster uncertainly, wondering if the old man was all right. "Well, before the Order got there, and Harry was leading us around, trying to find Sirius, we came into the Veil's room. It was empty, of course, but for some reason, Harry was drawn to it. He said he heard voices that were whispering. Luna Lovegood heard them too. I didn't hear anything at the time, but two days ago, when I finally visited the Veil again, I allowed myself to sit there for a long time with my mind relaxed to see if I could hear anything."

Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "And did you?"

"Yes, sir, I did. At first, I thought I was imagining things. But I called out to see if anyone answered me, and it sounded like the whispering got louder. Then I decided that I would enchant my parchment and quill to record any sounds in the room overnight."

"And what were your results?"

Hermione opened the last file and handed it over to the headmaster, who took it eagerly and read it. A look of surprise and shock came over his face. He looked up at her, his eyes surveying her carefully.

"Miss Granger, your name is mentioned here several times."

"I know, sir."

It had been an intense shock to Hermione when she returned the following morning to check the parchment. There were voices all right, and her name had appeared on the parchment more than once. Most of the words recorded were in foreign languages or Latin, so she didn't understand most of it. However, whenever her name appeared, it was closely followed by, "Help me."

Dumbledore handed the file back over to her, his brows furrowed in deep thought. Hermione took it and tucked it away with the rest of her files. She watched the old man carefully, wondering what he was thinking. She was just as puzzled as he appeared to be.

"What do you think, sir?" she asked after several long minutes.

Dumbledore looked up at her. "I think you have your work cut out for you, Miss Granger. But let me say this now: it is imperative that you complete your work quickly. If it turns out that the Veil could be used in some way to help us in the War, then its uses must be discovered as soon as possible. I know as an Unspeakable you are not allowed to disclose your work with anyone, but keep those files under lock and key. Do not let anyone see their contents. We don't want that information to fall into the wrong hands."

Hermione looked slightly startled, but nodded nonetheless. She hadn't thought of that until now.

"Yes, sir."

They both looked up when Tonks entered the library, looking curiously at them.

"What are you two up to?" she asked.

Dumbledore stood up. "I was just discussing matters with Miss Granger. What do you need, Nymphadora?"

Tonks made a face at the use of her first name, but said nothing about it. "Molly says dinner is ready, if you two are hungry."

Hermione stood up too. Though the knot in her stomach was twisting uncomfortably, she found herself rather hungry.

"I cannot stay. I must return to Hogwarts tonight. Thank Molly for me and give the others my best. I must be off," Dumbledore said, striding toward the door.

Hermione hurried after him. When the three reached the entrance hall, Tonks turned to head back down to the kitchen. Hermione, however, stayed long enough to see the headmaster off. At the door, Dumbledore paused and looked back at her.

"Remember what I said, Miss Granger. Under lock and key," he reminded her.

She nodded and waved to him as he strode out the door. Then she turned and followed Tonks down to the kitchen, her head buzzing with questions and information. Dumbledore told her to figure the Veil out as quickly as she could. It could mean a matter of life or death for her and those she cared about. And she would do everything in her power to keep from losing someone else, no matter what.


	3. What the Hell Did I Just Do?

**Disclaimer: **Seriously, do you people live in the dark? Clearly, it's not mine.

**A.N.** So I've read some pretty good Sirius/Hermione fics, and I just want to say, I hope this one can live up to the awesomeness of all the ones I've read. Now, if you'd be so kind to read and review, I'll be a happy author. Enjoy!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Three:** What the Hell Did I Just Do?

Hermione was utterly exhausted as she made her way to the Minister of Magic's office. This was her second meeting with the Minister since she had received the task of figuring out the Veil. It had been three weeks since Dumbledore's revelation on Voldemort, and since then, Hermione had been working feverishly to reveal the Veil's intentions.

Her manic obsession with the Veil resulted in a lack of sleep. Actually, it was than just a lack of sleep. It was nearing sleep deprivation. She was working nearly round the clock to try to get things accomplished. She'd already visited the Hogwarts library several times in the past three weeks. Madam Pince had been extremely helpful in finding books for Hermione to reference with other books she had found information in. The Ministry's library was also proving to be quite useful.

Hermione stepped off the lifts at the Minister's level and clutched her bundle of files closer to her body. Since the revelation of what Voldemort was planning, Hermione had turned paranoid and trusted almost nobody, with the exception of Harry and Kingsley and Mr. Weasley. She risked nothing in keeping her files safe from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. When she wasn't referencing her files, they were shrunk and kept in her pocket at all times. When she arrived home to Grimmauld Place (which had been rare in the past three weeks), she kept the files locked in a special safe with many enchantments and curses on it.

Call her paranoid, but she had a mission to accomplish, and if it meant bringing back people who had vanished behind the Veil, then she was going to keep that information from falling into the wrong hands. Especially now that she had made many important discoveries about the Veil. She was sure the Minister would be very pleased with her latest developments.

She waved at the Minister's secretary, who smiled and indicated that she should go ahead and continue on to the Minister's private office. She stopped at his oaken door and knocked. When he called that she could enter, she slipped in and shut the door behind her.

"Well, Miss Granger, again we meet," Minister Cornwell greeted her.

"So we do, Minister," Hermione replied with a smile as she settled herself in her usual chair.

"Have you made any progress since our last meeting?" he inquired curiously.

"Yes, sir, I have," Hermione declared triumphantly as she set all her files down on her lap.

Cornwell chuckled at the sheer amount of files stacked there. "Gracious, it would seem you have."

"Well, sir, I've visited the Hogwarts library several times to do some research, as well as the library here. I believe I have made enormous progress, and I may be close to solving the mysteries of the Veil in their entirety."

Cornwell looked impressed. "Well, what do you have for me?"

"The Veil originated in the times of Merlin. It is supposed to be the entrance to an alternate universe, although what this alternate universe pertains to, we're not sure. Nobody has ever returned from beyond the Veil to give us any indication of what it's like on the other side.

"There is evidence that Merlin was the one who created the Veil. From what I've read, it is believed that Merlin believed there to be a parallel universe to our own and wished to find such a place. After doing investigations of his own and trying many times, he created the Veil. Merlin was suspicious though. He doubted his magic. Instead of stepping through the portal himself, he chose one of his assistants to do instead. When the assistant didn't return, Merlin knew that something was wrong. He tried to reverse what he had done, but when that didn't work, he tried to improve upon his handiwork. But he failed, and the assistant was lost.

"Merlin tried to keep the Veil safe while he was alive. However, when he died, there was no lasting protection on it any longer. Many knew of the Veil's legend, though few had ever seen it before. When the Veil fell into the hands of the ruling Dark Lord of the times, it was used as punishment for those who refused to follow the laws laid out by the Dark Lord. If you refused to follow the laws set down, you were punished by a trip into the Veil, only to never return.

"I think I may have discovered a way to reverse the Veil. I believe Merlin used a complicated spell to alter time and space, therefore creating a sort of parallel universe. If I can reverse the effects of that spell, I think I might be able to return the people lost to the Veil. However, if time exists in the Veil as it does here in the real world, then those lost centuries ago will have been lost. But if not, we may have people return from the Veil who lived back in feudal England."

Cornwell was very impressed by Hermione's work. "Miss Granger, do you realize the magnitude of your discoveries?"

Hermione tucked away all her files. "Yes, sir. I appreciate the delicacy of the situation. We could be dealing with a very large number of people if I can manage to reverse the spell. If indeed we have people still alive from the feudal times, there could be chaos."

Cornwell nodded vigorously. "This may sound a bit callous, but for their sake, I hope time exists in the Veil as it does here."

"For their sake, I hope so too. If they were to return now, in this day and age, the shock could very well kill them."

Cornwell sighed. "Well, Miss Granger, I believe you have work to attend to. But might I suggest taking the night off, in the very least? I've heard that you've been spending day and night here. I really do insist that you take some time to rest so that you may be fully competent when you tackle the reversal of the Veil."

Hermione wanted to protest, but she knew she probably wouldn't last much longer without a little sleep. Cornwell was right about being rested enough to tackle the Veil. She didn't want something to backfire on her and end up destroying the Veil, or worse, end up being sucked into it.

She smiled. "Very well, sir. I shall take the night off and resume my work first thing tomorrow morning."

Cornwell smiled as well. "Jolly good. Oh, and one last thing."

Hermione turned from her spot near the door. "Yes, sir?"

He looked slightly anxious. "I'm sure Albus has informed you on the current situation here?"

Hermione nodded soberly. "Yes, sir. I'm keeping my eyes peeled. And don't worry about the files and whatnot. They're safe no matter what hour of the day. And I'm working my hardest to get the Veil solved so that we can keep it safe from the wrong hands."

Cornwell nodded. "Very well, then. Beware of your surroundings at all times. Report back to me when you have any news of significance."

"Yes, sir," Hermione agreed before letting herself out of his office.

* * *

Hermione went back to the Department to take care of some loose ends and to pack up for the night. It was very near four in the afternoon, the time when most of the Ministry's employees began to wrap up their days.

Reese was at his desk, taking care of paperwork of some kind. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps and his eyes alighted with curiosity.

"How did the meeting go?"

Hermione shrugged. She wasn't willing to share her information with anyone. "It went fine."

Reese looked annoyed. "Fine? That's all you've got?"

It was Hermione's turn to look annoyed. "Yeah, that's all I've got. The Minister's told me to take the night off and relax."

Reese looked slightly suspicious. "But you never take time to relax when you've got something important to work on."

"I know," she said with a sigh as she began tidying her desk up.

"You're on to something," he said quietly, watching her face carefully for any sign of betrayal.

Hermione slammed her messenger bag down on her desk with a bang. "What business of yours is it, Adam? Have you not noticed that I've been working almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for the past three weeks? Don't you think I might be the littlest bit exhausted? That I might need a break?"

Reese held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry I asked."

Hermione picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she stalked back to the stairs. "You should be, nosy bastard."

His laugh chased her up the stairs and out of the Department.

Up in the Atrium, she ran into Harry, who was looking both surprised and relieved to see her again.

"Finally decided to come home, eh?" he teased as they made their way to the designated Apparition point.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I just love working nonstop for three weeks."

Harry laughed. "Don't kid yourself. The Minister told you to take a break, didn't he?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

He sighed. "Then there's no point in me asking why you've been working like a slave for the past three weeks?"

"Nope. Top secret. Classified information."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Does it have to do with the situation here?"

She leaned away and looked around quickly, hoping nobody heard them. She nodded hastily.

"Yes, but let's not talk here. Wait till we get home."

Harry nodded in agreement, and together, they both stepped into the Apparition point and disappeared without notice.

Harry waited until they were in the kitchen and sitting down to dinner before pouncing on Hermione again.

"All right, spill it, Hermione."

Ginny looked around from helping Sophie with her dinner. "What's going on?"

Hermione sighed and kneaded her tired eyes with the heels of her palms. "Harry wants to know why I've been slaving away for the past three weeks."

Ginny finished cutting Sophie's chicken and turned to face them. "I've been wondering myself. You know we haven't seen you in nearly two weeks?"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I really haven't had a chance to slow down-"

"That's rubbish, Hermione, and you know it. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You should see how exhausted you look," Ginny pointed out.

"Gin, if you only knew what I was up to, you would agree with me."

"Can't you at least give us the tiniest hint?" Harry pleaded.

Hermione took a bite of her chicken to stall her answer. She tried to work out how to tell them how important her task was without giving it away. Then it came to her.

"You know how we've got to be careful at the Ministry now, right?"

Ginny and Harry nodded.

"Well, what I'm working on is extremely important, and it could end up helping us in the fight against Voldemort in the end."

Harry looked excited. "But that's fantastic!"

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes. For a moment, Harry was transformed into his fifteen-year-old self again.

"Yes, well, it would be fantastic, once I've got the problem solved. In the meantime, I've been doing lots of research to try to get it done. I've spoken to Dumbledore and he thinks-"

"Wait a second. Dumbledore knows?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah, I mean he is one of the most brilliant-"

"So if he knows, why can't we?" Harry demanded.

Hermione heaved a great sigh of annoyance. "Harry, who do you think has more weight around the Ministry? You or Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore, but-"

"And who do you think would know how to solve a sticky situation better, you or Dumbledore?"

"Most likely Dumbledore, but really-"

"Dumbledore is wise beyond his years. The Minister agreed that I could consult with him for more information that could end up helping me. That's why he knows. That's why I've been working like a madwoman these past few weeks. He told me it was extremely important to solve the problem before the other side could get their hands on it," Hermione finished with such a note of finality that Harry clamped his mouth shut.

"Really, Hermione, you could have come home, you know," Ginny admonished lightly as she wiped Sophie's mouth off and allowed her to leave the table in favor of playing with some of her toys on the floor.

"I know, Gin, and I'm really sorry, but you know how I get. I didn't want to stop, especially with it meaning a matter of life or death for a lot of people."

Ginny looked impressed. "It's that big?"

Hermione nodded. "If it falls into the wrong hands, we're screwed."

"Mummy, what's that mean?" Sophie was looking up at the adults, eagerly taking in every word.

"Nothing that Sophie needs to know about," Ginny said quickly before turning to give Hermione a dirty look.

Hermione had the decency to look ashamed. "Oops. Sorry, Gin."

"You're corrupting my daughter," Ginny warned.

Harry laughed, which caused Ginny to turn her evil eye on him. "You too, Mr. Potter."

"Spitting image of me, don't you think?" Harry asked jokingly, then ducked as Ginny tried to cuff him round the head.

Hermione stifled a huge yawn behind the back of her hand. Ginny looked unconvinced.

"Leave the dishes to me. You go take a nice shower and get comfortable and relax. And I mean relax, not work on some more stuff for the Department."

"That's impossible for me, Gin, you know that."

Ginny pointed a fork at her in a menacing fashion. "You'll do as I say, missy."

"Oh, fine. I'm going, I'm going. Don't have a hippogriff," Hermione said huffily as she hastened up the stairs to escape Ginny's lecturing.

After a lovely warm shower, Hermione slipped into her most comfortable pair of purple flannel pajama pants and her Chudley Cannons t-shirt before grabbing her files and heading into the library. She had done only a minimal amount of searching in the library at home, and was hoping to find some more useful tidbits of information.

Upon entering the room, she found Harry sitting in one of the armchairs near the fire, reading the day's edition of the _Prophet_ and sipping at a cup of tea. Ginny was sitting on the floor playing with Sophie, who immediately gave a squeal of delight and hopped up to hold her arms out to Hermione.

Hermione laughed and set her files on the coffee table before complying to the eager child by lifting her into the air and swinging her around. Her shrieks of delight carried in the large room and were quite contagious; she, Ginny and Harry were laughing as Hermione set Sophie down again.

"Thanks for winding her up again Hermione. I was hoping to get her to bed soon," Ginny said ruefully.

"No problem, Gin. That's what I'm here for," Hermione replied cheekily.

"What are you up to, Herms?" Harry asked, peeking over the top of his paper to see the stack of files on the coffee table.

"I wanted to take some time to make use of the library before going back in tomorrow," she explained.

"Are those files full of information pertaining to your assignment?" he asked rather sneakily.

Hermione gave him a stern look. "Yes, they are, and no, you can't have a peek at them."

Harry pretended to pout, which caused his little girl to laugh at him. Even Ginny managed a giggle, but then she became stern as she surveyed her best friend.

"I thought I told you to relax tonight," she reminded Hermione.

Hermione waved an impatient hand at her. "Oh please. What's more relaxing than sitting curled up on the couch with a good book?"

"You're still working though," Ginny protested.

"Gin, give it up. You're not going to convince her otherwise," Harry said over the top of his paper.

Ginny sighed, but didn't say another word on the subject. Instead, she turned back to Sophie and her toys, hoping to quiet her down enough to get the little one to bed. Sure enough, a half hour later, Ginny was carrying Sophie from the room, half asleep on her mother's shoulder.

Hermione felt another twist of longing in her stomach as she watched Ginny carefully carry the beautiful little child from the library. There was so much that Hermione wanted in her life, and right now, a family was right at the top of her list. She decided that she would pay a visit to her parents as soon as she solved the Veil's mysteries.

Ginny returned to the library a short time later, and she too curled up on one of the other couches with a good book. The room was peacefully quiet as the three friends shared a rare moment in time together, something they hadn't had in quite a long time.

It was after ten before Ginny finally snapped her book shut, yawning hugely and rumpling her curly red hair.

"I think it's time for bed," she announced sleepily, giving a rather pointed look at Hermione.

Harry stood up from his armchair and stretched lazily, running a hand through his own shaggy black tangle of hair.

"Coming up, Herms?" he asked as he passed by her couch.

"Yes, she is," Ginny answered for her.

Hermione sighed irritably. She had just found an interesting bit of information. "Hang on."

Ginny stood by the door and tapped her foot, her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for Hermione to join her and Harry. Hermione ignored her huffiness and scratched out a couple new pieces for her notes, then filed the parchment away carefully and tucked her files under her arm.

The three climbed the stairs carefully, treading lightly to avoid the squeaking boards. Hermione bid her friends good night as she turned into her room. She closed her door slowly to avoid the loud squeaks of the hinges, then locked it. Going over to her safe, she placed her files in it, then shut it and waved her wand to put up the enchantments and curses.

She slid under the covers of her bed, sighing with content at the softness and coziness of the bed she had not slept in for more than two weeks. Almost immediately, her eyes closed against her will, and she fell fast asleep, her slumber miraculously free of nightmares.

* * *

Hermione found herself in front of the Veil once more the next morning. At Ginny's insistence, she had taken longer to get ready and had eaten breakfast with the family for the first time in a long time. Though she didn't normally like variations from her daily routine, she rather enjoyed breakfast with her two friends and her darling goddaughter.

It was rather later in the morning than Hermione would have liked, but she was ready to tackle the Veil nonetheless. She wanted to try to solve its mysteries today. If by some miracle she could bring back the people lost to the Veil, she would be enormously relieved. She could find out more information from those who had been behind it.

At the moment, she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the last step to the pit. She wanted to see if she could hear the whispering again. After finding her name on her charmed parchment three weeks ago, she wanted to see if she could possibly communicate with the people beyond the Veil.

She sat in silence, her eyes closed, concentrating carefully. She had been rather ruffled when her name appeared on the parchment, as she knew that only one person would know her name. It had been so long since Sirius Black disappeared behind the Veil, it seemed almost impossible that he could recognize her voice.

Hermione felt a tickle of excitement in her stomach at the idea of being able to bring Sirius back. Harry would be so pleased. It had been such a loss for him, and Hermione always wondered if there was a possibility of him ever returning. Harry needed that strong fatherly presence in his life, though she thought he was doing a fine job of being a father himself.

She opened her eyes abruptly. She had finally heard something. The whispering started up again, though none of it made any sense. She scooted closer the Veil, sitting with her knees touching the stone dais that it rested upon. The Veil fluttered innocently in its breeze as the whispering continued.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn the whispering stopped for a moment, then resumed once again. If it wasn't for the idea that she had been in the department for three years already, she would have laughed aloud at the idea of disembodied voices calling out her name.

She sat quietly once more, waiting. She wasn't sure what would happen after calling out, but she had a feeling that her name might surface soon. It was as if the people beyond the Veil waited to hear a familiar voice before trying to contact them.

As she sat there waiting, she continued to survey the Veil for any noticeable signs of change. Perhaps it was because she'd been spending so much time in the room lately that she began to register small changes to the Veil. She could have sworn that the Veil's fluttering increased, as though the breeze unfelt by her was blowing stronger. She wondered if that had anything to do with the people behind the Veil moving closer to it. She pulled out some parchment and a quill to write that down.

She had barely written it down when she dropped her quill in surprise. She thought she had heard her name among the whispering. She shrugged it off, thinking she was starting to go mental or that she was hearing what she was hoping to hear.

She jerked her head up from the parchment once more. She heard it again. There was no mistaking it this time. She was starting to feel slightly unnerved. Quickly, she jotted down the rest of her thoughts and rolled up her parchment and stuffed it away in one of her files. She yanked out her wand and stood up.

"Sirius?" she asked uncertainly.

The Veil rippled a little faster, as though there was a crowd of people on the other side of it. The impulse to reach out a hand was very strong at that moment, but Hermione kept her arms clamped to her sides. There was no reason to suddenly lose her head now.

"Sirius Black," she said in a stronger voice.

As she heard her name again, she narrowed her eyes. She began to wonder if she was just imagining things. She tried to think it through logically. There was no way that she could be imagining things of this nature. The research fit with what she was hearing and seeing. She gripped her wand tighter, feeling sweat on her palm. She figured it was a good time to try the reversal spell.

She brought her wand up from her side and closed her eyes to concentrate. It was a complicated spell, and she didn't want to do any damage to the Veil by not focusing hard enough. She muttered the complicated Latin phrases under her breath, waving her wand in intricate patterns.

She went on like this for a good five minutes. Nothing was happening. She opened her eyes to see the Veil still fluttering away, but nobody standing there with her. She gave a frustrated sigh. She didn't really expect the spell to work the first time, but she was holding out hope that it would.

With a shake of her head, she tried again, this time going slower and enunciating her Latin as best as she could. She twirled her wand around with sure strokes, hoping with every fiber of her being that something would happen this time.

With a sudden blast much like a cannon going off in front of her, Hermione was thrown backwards into the stone seats. She slumped to the floor, the wind knocked completely out of her. She felt like she broke every bone in her body. She laid there for a few minutes, trying to allow the pain to recede and to regain her normal breathing. She refused to open her eyes, afraid that she had blasted the Veil to smithereens.

She gave a groan of anguish. What would happen to her if she did destroy the Veil? That wasn't exactly in the Minister's game plan. Would she be fired? Would she be brought up on some ridiculous charges for destroying a valuable piece of Ministry property?

Feeling she could no longer prolong the inevitable, she sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her back. She propped herself up against the stone behind her and slowly opened her eyes. She was not at all prepared for what she saw. A black clad figure was laying on the floor just in front of the stone dais. It gave a small groan and stirred slightly.

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione moaned softly, crawling forward to see the figure better.

She stopped short when the figure suddenly rose up from the floor, cursing softly. The man turned to her and Hermione gasped, a hand going to her heart, which seemed to have stopped beating.

"What the bloody fuck just happened?"

"Oh my," Hermione whispered.

Sirius Black stood up, still cursing in what must have been pain. Hermione scrambled up as well, ignoring the pains in her back.

"Sirius Black?" she asked, completely dumbfounded.

He looked into her face, slightly confused, but still full of the same old Black charm. He winked at her and grinned.

"The one and only."

Hermione felt slightly faint. "What the hell did I just do?"


	4. Returned

**Disclaimer: **Jo, all I really want is Sirius. Couldn't you just give me him? You can have the rest of them, I swear. . .

**A.N. **Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I'm so very glad that you all are enjoying the story so far. A lot of you already have theories on Adam Reese, which is fantastic, but I won't say yay or nay to them. You'll just have to read on to find out more. And now, on with the story and more of our favorite bad boy Sirius!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Four: **Returned

Hermione sat with her head in her hands on one of the hard plastic chairs outside of the Ministry's small infirmary. The last half hour had been a blur to her. The reality of what she had just done finally caught up with her, leaving her with a massive headache. 

She could hardly believe it. Sirius Black was back. He was back, and he hadn't aged a day. Ten years gone, but he was still his thirty-six year old self. It was amazing. Amazing and still so very strange. She didn't know what it was that brought him back, whether it was the spell or her very forceful determination to try to bring him back. Maybe it was a combination of both?

She gave a small groan under her breath. Sirius was in the infirmary now. Once she had determined that Sirius really was back, she sent off a message with her Patronus to the Minister. His immediate reply was to take Sirius to the infirmary, but to cloak him so as to not cause a stir in the rest of the Ministry. He would meet her there.

The Minister was in with Sirius now. He was overseeing the small army of Healers the Ministry employed who were giving Sirius a very thorough examination to determine if anything was wrong with him magical or otherwise. After all, ten years spent in nothingness or otherwise could cause strains on the body.

She gave a snort at that thought. Sirius was as strong as an ox, or at least, he was when he disappeared behind the Veil. She had a feeling that he was doing all he could to protest this examination. Once he was done protesting, she was sure the questions would come. The questions would come, but nobody would answer them. It was very typical of the Ministry. However, with the Minister being present, perhaps he'd get some questions answered.

Questions. So many of them were stirring in Hermione's mind, making her headache worse. What exactly had she done to make Sirius come back? Why did he come back, but the others beyond the Veil not? Why did time not exist the way it did in reality? But most importantly, what would she tell Harry when she came home with Sirius in tow?

She tried not to think of that one too much. She knew it would come as a very big shock to Harry. Perhaps it would be better to track him down here at the Ministry before she tried to foist Sirius on him. Granted, once the shock wore off, Harry would be very happy to have his godfather back.

Hermione jerked her head up when she heard raised voices behind the closed doors of the infirmary. She gave a small grin as she recognized Sirius's voice. He didn't sound very happy. Shortly thereafter, the Minister's head appeared in the small window of the door as he pushed it open, exiting the infirmary with a very grumpy looking Sirius in tow.

"Well, Miss Granger, we've found absolutely nothing wrong with him! He's as healthy as he ever was," Minister Cornwell declared.

"I could have told you that," Sirius muttered sourly.

Hermione tried to contain her grin. "That's fantastic news."

Cornwell turned to look at Sirius. "I've also informed him of his official pardon granted by the Ministry shortly after his disappearance behind the Veil."

Sirius surveyed him closely, as though he were trying to detect a falsehood. "Took you bastards long enough."

Cornwell laughed. "Yes, well, Mr. Fudge was a stubborn man."

Sirius grumbled under his breath, but made no audible comment.

Cornwell shook Hermione's hand. "I must congratulate you, Miss Granger. What you did was simply amazing."

Hermione looked sheepish. "Yes, but I'm not sure what it is that I did. If the spell worked in its entirety, all the people who were behind the Veil would have returned."

Cornwell shrugged. "Forgive me if this sounds callous, but perhaps for their sakes, it's better that they didn't. Look at Mr. Black here! Not a day over thirty-six, and he's been gone for ten years! As you said earlier, the shock of coming back to a world in which they so clearly don't belong would most certainly kill them."

Hermione shrugged too. "I'm not even sure the Veil still works, to be perfectly honest."

Cornwell's brows furrowed as he thought about it. "Perhaps that wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. At least it would be one less weapon we'd have to worry about."

"Weapon? What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, looking curiously between the two.

Cornwell sighed. "The war."

Sirius looked blank. "The war is still being fought?"

"Indeed, Mr. Black. Now, Miss Granger, if I might suggest something?"

Hermione looked at him warily. "Yes, Minister?"

Cornwell looked around for eavesdroppers. "If I were you, I would tell Mr. Potter what's going on before I got home."

Hermione nodded. "I was going to bring Mr. Black back to the Department, as I know Reese is gone for the afternoon, then I'll summon Potter."

Cornwell smiled. "Very well. Mr. Black, we'll be in touch."

Sirius nodded curtly to the Minister. 

Hermione handed Sirius the cloak he'd been wearing when she brought him up to the infirmary. 

"Please put this back on so we can go back to the Department."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a wink and a salute, throwing the cloak around his shoulders without another word.

The ride in the lifts was quiet, as was the rest of the walk into the Department and down to the office. Hermione dropped into her seat and rested her forehead on the edge of her desk for a few minutes. So much had happened today. She was still trying to get her mind around the fact that Sirius Black was back and sitting on the other side of her desk.

"So, Harry is still. . .?" Sirius spoke up at long last, looking uncertainly at Hermione.

Hermione sat up and rubbed her face. "Harry is perfectly all right, Sirius."

Sirius smiled with relief. "That's good. That's really good."

Hermione nodded, looking at Sirius with amazement. It was so unreal that he was sitting there.

"We've missed you, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, suddenly sober. "It's very unreal to be sitting here."

"It's so weird to see you the same as you were when you went into the Veil ten years ago."

"As it is to see a Hermione Granger grown up and working in the Ministry. You grew up beautifully, might I say," Sirius said with a smile on his face.

Hermione felt her stomach flip at his compliment. She had always had a small place in her heart for this man. She felt the affection she had buried so long ago flare up once more.

"Thank you, Sirius."

He looked around. "So you're an Unspeakable now, eh?"

Hermione nodded. "It's quite a job, let me tell you."

"I'm sure. Tell me about Harry. How's he doing? What's he up to?"

She grinned. She knew this was coming. "He's very well. He's an Auror now, working under Kingsley. He married Ginny Weasley five years ago. They have a three year old daughter named Sophie. They're living in Grimmauld Place and are really quite happy."

Sirius smiled at the news, but his eyes darkened in sadness. "I wish I had been here for all that. He must be so proud."

"He is, Sirius. And he wishes that you were there too."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Hermione roused herself once more. She conjured her Patronus and sent it off to Harry, telling him to come down to the Department.

"Harry needs to see you before I take you back home," Hermione explained in response to Sirius's arched eyebrow.

"You don't want to surprise him," Sirius said knowingly.

"Well, yeah. I don't think Ginny would appreciate me or you giving her husband a damn heart attack. He's got a family to take care of."

Sirius laughed. "So how's the Weasleys then?"

She felt her stomach clench. How casually he asked of them. But the past few years for them had been anything but casual. She gulped down the knot that had risen in her throat.

"Erm, they've been pretty good. I mean, with the Order and everything, things have been kind of tough for them in the past few years, but that's to be expected. This is a war we're fighting, after all," she finished rather lamely.

Though Sirius had been back for a grand total of an hour, he knew something was up. Sure, he missed ten years of the real world and seeing his godson and his best friends grow up, but he had a general knowledge of how Hermione operated. She wasn't being one hundred percent honest, but he decided he'd let it pass, for now.

Hermione was spared further questioning into the Weasley family business by the arrival of Harry. She saw him descend the last few stairs into the office and thought quickly of how to address the issue at hand.

"Hermione?" Harry asked rather uncertainly, wondering why she called him down to the Department and eyeing the back of the dark haired stranger's head questioningly.

She saw Sirius's shoulders tense and offered him a brief smile. This might turn into a difficult situation. She was glad that Sirius appreciated that at the moment.

"Erm, hello, Harry," she said brightly. "Good day?"

Harry shuffled forward a few steps, wondering now why the stranger wasn't turning to face him. "Yeah, it was splendid. Shacklebolt shared a few tips with me."

The way he raised his eyebrows told Hermione that Kingsley had information to share with the order.

"That's fantastic, Harry. Something for cause to celebrate?"

"You could say that. So why did you call me down here?" Harry cut right to the point.

Hermione inwardly cringed. There really wasn't an easy way to tell him. . .

"Well, you know how I've been working on that really big project?"

Harry's eyes widened slightly behind his round glasses. "Yeah. . ."

She took a deep breath. "I may have solved a problem."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

She nodded. "Yes. But there's still loads more to do."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Blimey, Hermione, you brought me all the way down here to tell me that you solved a small problem? I've been busy all day, you know. Couldn't you have told me at dinner?"

Slightly stung, her voice rose in pitch. "No, no, I don't think I could have told you at dinner. You might have choked on your dinner if I told you this."

Harry edged back toward the stairs. "Ha, yeah, funny, Hermione. Really, I've got a few things to finish before heading home, so if you don't mind-"

"Harry, I brought Sirius back," she blurted out.

He froze. His eyes widened in shock. "You. . .you. . .what?"

Hermione inclined her head toward Sirius, who looked slightly apprehensive. He nodded to her, then stood up and turned to face his godson.

Sirius's heart clenched with an aching loss of those ten years. How much Harry had grown! He was a man, a man with a family. Sirius had missed so much, that was apparent just from talking to Hermione. There was no way to get back those ten years, but there were so many more ahead of them to make new memories.

Harry's face drained of all color. He wasn't sure how to react. Ten long years of nothing, and then, all of a sudden, Sirius Black was standing before him not a day older than when he disappeared behind the Veil.

"Harry?" Sirius said quietly, extending a hand slowly for his godson.

Harry's jaw clenched painfully and he had to shake his head to clear it. This wasn't a dream. There was no way that this could be a dream. But still, he couldn't believe it.

"Sirius?" 

They both took a few steps toward each other, regarding one another carefully. Hermione worried that one of them would have a breakdown. But that thought vanished quickly, for the next second, both men had flung themselves at each other, hugging each other tightly.

Harry's eyes were damp when he pulled back to put Sirius at an arm's length so he could see him better. There was no mistaking it; Sirius Black was back once more.

"Look at you! You're a man! And from what I hear, a man with a family!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at Harry with pride and wonder.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, growing up had its compensations after all."

Hermione stood behind her desk, her arms folded across her chest, watching both of them with happiness. She'd always wanted nothing more than to bring back someone for Harry. He needed that adult figure in his life.

Any worries she had flew right out the window. She knew it would take some time to readjust to one another and for things to settle back down once more, but she was rather looking forward to the changes that Sirius would bring about.

"Wait till you see what Gin's done with number twelve, Sirius, you won't even recognize the place when you walk in. . ."

"I want to see this little girl you've got, Harry. Does she have Lily's eyes?"

"We left your room alone, you know. Deep down, I always had this hope that you'd come back, Sirius."

Sirius's eyes looked watery after he heard that. It only reminded him of how much Harry needed him while he was growing up. He would always regret not having those years back.

"I always had a hope I'd come back too, Harry."

Hermione cleared her throat. "So, Harry, do you still have some stuff to wrap up back upstairs?"

Harry waved an impatient hand. "Nah, it can wait until tomorrow morning. Let's go home. I imagine Ginny will flip when Sirius walks through the door. Besides, Sophie needs to meet her uncle and we need to eat dinner and talk."

Sirius grinned. "Did Ginny change much?"

"No," chorused Hermione and Harry.

"If anything, she's more and more like her mother everyday," Harry said ruefully.

Sirius's face paled a bit at that information, but the two quickly assured him Ginny was much more laid back than Molly Weasley every would be.

Slightly reassured, Sirius allowed himself to be steered back up the stairs and out of the Department, safely ensconced in his cloak once more so as to not create a stir. The news would break in the _Prophet_ tomorrow morning, and the three were hoping to put off the publicity for as long as possible.

Once the three had Apparated back to Grimmauld Place, Sirius couldn't help himself any longer. He threw off his cloak and quickly transformed into the big black dog he was known for. Hermione and Harry laughed as Sirius gamboled around the square, chasing some pigeons and turning in circles after his long tail. He was finally having some fun again.

Sirius changed back to his human form, panting and slightly pink in the face, but grinning ear to ear. Facing number twelve, he surveyed it carefully. Nothing had changed on the exterior, as it was still headquarters and there were still a number of carefully placed enchantments on it to keep it safe. He could only hope that the inside was as promising as Harry said it would be.

"Ready to go in?" Harry asked eagerly. 

Sirius grinned. "Sure. If it's as good as you say it is, what's there to be afraid of?"

They laughed as they climbed the steps quickly and let themselves in. 

"Wow," Sirius breathed out in surprise.

The dark, gloomy entrance hall was no more. The chandelier had been polished to a shine and lit the hall with a soft glow. The walls were no longer gloomy and heavy, but bright and cheery with a soft yellow paint. But best of all. . .

"You got the old bitch down!" Sirius crowed happily as he stood in front of the spot of wall where his mother's portrait once hung.

"No thanks to Harry," Hermione said, beaming at Sirius.

Sirius turned all the way around to survey his old house. "This is absolutely incredible. I can hardly wait to see what you've done with the rest of the place."

Harry looked positively delighted. As long as Sirius was happy, he was ecstatic.

There was a crash downstairs, followed by a shriek and a burst of laughter.

"Sophie," Harry and Hermione said together, turning in the direction of the basement steps.

"Let's go down," Hermione suggested, seeing the look on Sirius's face.

"Harry, tell me your little one isn't a Fred and George in the making," Sirius said warily.

He laughed. "It's too early to tell, Sirius. She does have Weasley blood in her veins, after all."

They descended the steps quietly, hoping to catch what all the fuss was about before they missed it all. Ginny came into sight near the pantry, her face red and her hair crackling with electricity.

"How many times have I told you, Sophie?" she cried in frustration.

Sophie sat on the floor, happily banging away on the pots and pans she had pulled down from the pantry shelves, which explained the tremendous crash.

"But Mummy! It's fun!" the little girl cried in joy, banging all the more louder on the innumerable pots.

"You nearly gave Mummy a heart attack!" Ginny cried.

"Sowwy, Mummy!" Sophie yelled over the clanging.

Ginny raised her wand to put the pots back in their rightful places. She caught sight of Hermione and Harry coming down the steps and gave a wave with her other hand.

"Sorry, dinner will be on the table in a minute. Sophie decided to give me a start," she explained, preparing to banish the pots to the pantry.

Then she caught sight of Sirius emerging from the stairs.

The pots fell back to the floor with an even bigger crash than before. Her wand arm fell limply to her side, her mouth slightly agape with shock and her eyes wide and staring.

"Gin, it's okay. He's back! Hermione brought him back!" Harry said happily.

"My big project was the Veil," Hermione said gently, hoping Ginny wasn't about to faint or something of the nature.

Ginny seemed to recover some, and gave her head a little shake to clear it. 

"Bloody hell," she whispered, moving closer to see him better.

Sirius had to admit, her reaction was pretty funny. He chuckled a bit as she walked all the way around him, as if to really confirm he was standing in the kitchen and she wasn't imagining things.

She swatted his arm. "Don't laugh at me! You nearly did me in too!" She gave him a hug, then turned back to the pot on the fire. "Excuse me if I don't fret over you for the moment. If you lot want dinner not to burn, it's got to come off the fire now."

Hermione and Sirius settled themselves at the table, which was now polished to a shine. Harry cleaned up Sophie's mess with the pots, then picked the little girl up, much to her intense enjoyment.

"Daddy!" she cried as Harry swooped her through the air.

Harry planted a kiss on her cheek as he sat down with her in his lap at the table. "Sophie, Daddy wants to introduce you to someone."

Sophie surveyed Sirius with her beautiful jade eyes. "Who is he, Daddy?"

Harry laughed. "This is Daddy's godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius has been away for a very long time, but he's back now, and he's going to live with us."

Sophie nodded wisely. "Uncle Sirie," she pronounced.

Sirius reached out a hand for her. "Nice to meet you, Sophie."

Ginny set down a plate of chops, rice and vegetables in front of each of them before grabbing Sophie's plate and her own. She sat down next to Harry and pulled Sophie from his arms to sit in her high chair.

"Merlin, she's beautiful, you two," Sirius declared, looking between Ginny and Harry.

"She got the eyes. But she's got the Weasley hair," Ginny said happily, plucking at a tiny curl of red hair on Sophie's head.

"Green eyes," Sophie sang out.

The adults dug into their plates, and for a few minutes, the kitchen was silent as they enjoyed Ginny's excellent cooking. As Hermione looked around at the other three adults, she could see the wheels spinning in each of their heads. The questions were brewing and it was only a matter of time before the dam burst forth.

"So, Sirius," Ginny finally spoke up, "what do you think of the place? Do you like what we've done?"

Sirius swallowed a hunk of his chops and took a sip of his wine before answering. "Ginny, I couldn't have done the place any better myself. It's amazing, and I want to see what all you've done."

Ginny grinned. "Well, we've only really tackled the first three floors. We left the fourth and the attic alone, since we really don't need that much space. And I'm sure Harry's told you that we left your room alone. But if you want to fix it up, we'd be more than willing to help."

"That'd be great. Excellent cooking, might I add. Just like your mother's," he added with a wink.

"What a compliment. Thanks, Sirius. I can see some things just haven't changed," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Hermione, how long have you been with the Department of Mysteries?" Sirius turned to Hermione instead of responding to Ginny's sarcasm.

"A little over three years. But I've been with the Ministry for about five."

Sirius leaned back in his seat a little and surveyed the young witch from behind his black locks. He had never pegged her as the type to work for the Ministry. He always saw her as doing something to help others, like taking her ridiculous house-elf campaign further.

Hermione sensed what he was thinking. "I know, I'm not Ministry material."

Sirius grinned. "Nah, you were born to get house-elves their rights."

Harry snorted into his vegetables, which earned him a cuff round the head from Ginny. "You've got a lot of room to talk, Harry."

He held his hands up defensively. "I'm an Auror. The only time I deal with the Minister is when something big comes up. Otherwise, I take orders from Kingsley. Brilliant man, he is."

Sirius nodded, then his look turned serious. "So what about this war?"

He noted the sad looks exchanged between the three young adults. How much he cursed those missing years. So much had happened, and he wasn't here to experience it. 

"It's been bad, Sirius," Ginny said softly, taking a sip from her glass.

"Voldemort keeps getting stronger with each passing week," Harry explained. "We've been trying everything. But he keeps recruiting and we're outnumbered badly."

"What about the Order?"

"We've been working as hard as we can, Sirius. Sometimes, it's no use. We've suffered badly," Hermione said sadly, avoiding his eyes.

"How bad?" Sirius asked, dreading the answer. "Who's gone?"

Hermione gulped. She had hoped this question wouldn't come up.

"Moody's gone," Harry said soberly, pushing his rice around on his plate.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed.

Ginny nodded. "We've all been injured at least once or twice. We nearly lost Remus a few years back. Speaking of him, he and Tonks are engaged, can you believe it?"

Sirius was briefly taken aback. "Remus and my cousin Tonks? Really? Wow, who would have thought."

Harry smiled. "They got together about a year after you disappeared behind the Veil. All the time they spent together working for the Order when we were in our fifth year really brought out the best in them."

Sirius paused for a few seconds, getting his head around the idea of Remus and Tonks together.

"I expect old Moony was more than a little difficult about the whole affair, no?" he asked wryly.

"Of course he was," Ginny said, shaking her head. "Tried giving her the song and dance that he was too old, broken and not worth her time."

It was Sirius's turn to shake his head. "Oh please. He got bitten by a werewolf. I spent twelve years in Azkaban and ten years behind the Veil. I think I deserve a little more sympathy."

They all laughed.

"Get over yourself, Sirius. The Healers at the Ministry said you were as healthy as ever!" Hermione exclaimed.

He pretended to pout. "No one needs to know that."

"But they will once the news breaks in the _Prophet_ tomorrow," Hermione pointed out.

Harry and Ginny looked between the two in amazement. 

"The Ministry's actually putting his return out in the open?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Yeah, surprisingly," Sirius said with a shrug.

"Let's just hope it doesn't lead to complications," Hermione said gravely, suddenly appreciating the danger that could arise from the news.

Sirius looked puzzled. "Complications, how?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sirius, Voldemort wanted nothing more than to destroy you in the first place. You were close to James and Lily. He never had the chance to kill you before you disappeared behind the Veil."

"He's taking over everywhere, Sirius. You really have no idea," Ginny spoke up again.

"Dumbledore's uncovered a plot to take over the Ministry," Harry revealed.

Sirius stared at him, his mouth agape in shock. "But. . .how's that going to affect you and Hermione?"

"We're being extremely careful. No outsiders let inside the circle, so to speak," Hermione said seriously.

The moment was broken up suddenly when Sophie dropped her fork onto her high chair tray, her head lolling to the side. She had fallen fast asleep. Ginny glanced at the clock to discover it was past nine. They'd been talking for hours, though it seemed only briefly.

Ginny excused herself upstairs to put Sophie to bed. Harry and Hermione roused themselves to clean up the dinner mess. Sirius tried to help, but Hermione shooed him away.

"You'll only be more of a hindrance than a help, we've changed everything around," she said, pointing her wand at him to make sure he got the point.

He backed away, his hands held up in surrender and shaking his head. Hermione had changed so much from the worrywart bookworm she had been at fifteen. He wanted to know what had caused this drastic change in personality. 

There was so much he wanted to know. He knew that there were things left unsaid while they were talking over dinner. He had picked up on the not-so-subtle change of topic in the conversation when Ginny told him that Remus was marrying Tonks. The three were hiding something that they did not want to talk about, at all costs. However impatient Sirius was, he knew that the information was bound to come out into the open sooner or later, leaving healed wounds open and raw once more.

For the moment, Sirius decided he would enjoy being back with everyone he cared so deeply for. Ten years had passed him by, but with any luck, he'd have ten years more to enjoy with everyone who frequented Grimmauld Place.


	5. The Truth Comes Out

**Disclaimer: **Think it'd be possible to get Sirius in my Easter basket this year?

**A.N.** Sorry it took me two weeks to update with the last chapter. My internet crapped out on me the day I had the chapter finished, and I didn't get it back until the night I posted last. But not to worry, it's back and faster than ever! So here is your weekly update! Enjoy the weekly updates while you can, because they'll soon disappear.

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Five: **The Truth Comes Out

Hermione lay curled in the fetal position under the covers of her bed. She willed the hole in her heart (and the pain that came with it) to just go away. The nightmares were becoming too much to bear. She wished that people would just stop talking about him. She wanted nothing more than to live in a world that didn't remind her of him almost daily. Reminders and conversations led to the nightmares. The nightmares led to the agony she felt the most when she was alone in her bed at night.

If only things had gone the way they were supposed to. The War would be over. She and her friends would have been spared the severe injuries over the past five years. They wouldn't have almost lost Remus. Moody would still be here. Hermione would be married right now.

At that thought, she curled tighter into her ball. Married. Maybe with a baby. A family of her own. A home of her own. A husband who loved her. Her heart whole and full of love.

Love? What was that? It had been so very long for her. Three years. She hadn't felt anything like it since the night he died. How very cruel the world had been to her that night. They'd been engaged for a week, but Hermione was already starting to plan out the wedding. She was happy, very happy, even for the circumstances and the state of their lives at that moment. She felt invincible. She had a man who loved her more than life itself. She was going to be his wife. Nothing could happen to ruin it.

Hermione rolled over and squeezed her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry. It had been three years. There was no changing that. She had to move on with her life, stop dwelling in the past. There would be no bringing him back. There would also be no forgetting what they had. She was sure that nothing would ever measure up to the love they had shared.

She sat up abruptly. She would never fall back to sleep if she continued to dwell on the memories and the pain. It was time for her usual cup of tea to help her back to sleep.

She crept quietly out of her room, wand lit to illuminate the dark stairs. She heard the grandfather clock in the entrance hall strike one. She hoped that everyone was tucked away in their beds. She had no desire to meet face to face with anyone right now. She just wanted her cup of tea and she wanted to go back to sleep. She had a lot to do at the office in the morning, and needed to be well-rested to deal with it all.

The kitchen was empty when she emerged from the stairs. The fire was merely just a glow of the embers now. Still, it was warm and cozy in the small kitchen, which would be filled to capacity later on in the evening. There was to be an Order meeting, called hastily by Dumbledore once she had sent a letter off to him to tell him Sirius was back.

She shuffled over to the pantry, digging around on one of the higher shelves for her box of tea. Snatching it close, she pulled a clean mug from the cupboard and threw her tea bag in the kettle before placing it on the stove to heat. She leaned against the counter, her arms crossed, head down, observing her fuzzy slippers idly, ignoring the pain that numbed her heart.

"I thought I was the only one who did late nights."

Hermione jumped out of her skin. She lifted her head to glare at the intruder, only to find herself staring at the face of Sirius Black. How bloody unnatural.

"I fancied a cup of tea," she said quietly, turning to the kettle when it began to whistle.

"At one in the morning?" he questioned.

"I had a bad dream," Hermione said in a tone that declared the subject closed.

Sirius didn't buy it. "Care to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Sirius didn't push it further, but instead walked to the pantry to pull out a tea bag for himself. If she didn't want to talk, that was fine, but he would at least make a cup for himself so that she didn't have to sit down here all by herself.

Hermione saw what he was doing, and felt appreciation flood her system. She decided against being a bitch and taking her tea upstairs. If he wanted to keep her company, she wouldn't complain. Maybe it would be better if she had some, so she wouldn't wallow in her misery.

She sat at the table, her hands wrapped around her mug, watching as the steam curled above the rim. Her mind had drifted blissfully blank. It was a nice change.

Sirius took up her spot leaning against the counter. He took the opportunity to study her while she was distracted with her tea mug. He had noticed it right off when he returned. There was a definite change in Hermione Granger. She was no longer the bookish recluse she had been in school. Something had happened to her that caused her a great deal of pain. The sadness was etched across her face, whether she realized it or not.

He took the kettle off the stove and poured his cup before joining her at the table. She offered him a brief smile before returning her gaze to the rising steam. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, to try to reassure her that whatever it was couldn't ruin her life, but somehow he knew that it was much bigger than that. He equated her sadness to that of his own from missing all those years with her and Harry and the rest of the world.

"How've you been, Hermione?" he asked after a long time spent in silence.

She looked up at him tiredly, her brown locks framing her face sweetly. "I've been okay."

He wanted to contest this, but didn't want to upset her more. "How have the years passed for you, then? What have you been doing?"

He felt this was rather fair; if she didn't want to tell him the real problem, she could skirt around it with anything else that came to mind.

She shrugged. "I didn't get to finish out Hogwarts. I was too busy fighting in the War. The school came under attack. We missed out most of the year because we were being tracked. Voldemort managed to briefly take the school under his control."

Sirius was shocked. "But how did that happen? Dumbledore-"

"Was trying to keep Hogsmeade safe by setting up enchanted barriers. But the ones he set around the school were penetrated. Instead of letting Voldemort think he had him, Dumbledore allowed the school to be set under Voldemort's control so that we had a better chance of saving it. Dumbledore knew it was foolhardy to just barge right back into the school with Voldemort playing headmaster," Hermione explained.

"But did you ever get the opportunity to talk your N.E.W.T.s?" Sirius asked, aghast at the idea of Hermione not taking the test she had been undoubtedly preparing for since the fourth year.

She smiled wryly. "The Ministry didn't deem it necessary. They let me in anyway."

He whistled low. "I find that hard to believe."

"Fudge wasn't in control anymore. He was sacked after our fifth year. You missed it. He was letting all these terrible things happen while keeping his head turned to the possibility that Voldemort was involved."

Sirius let out a low growl. "That man was a fucking moron."

She smiled. "My thoughts exactly. They put Rufus Scrimgeour in charge."

"But what happened to him? He was a good man, I thought."

Hermione shook her head, remembering what the Minister had wanted Harry to do. "Remember how the Ministry tried to play Harry as an attention-seeker who told tall tales? And how Umbridge did her best to get him expelled?"

Sirius actually looked quite menacing at the memory. "Vividly."

"Well, Scrimgeour tried to tell Harry that the Ministry was sorry and to make it up to him, he wanted Harry to pop in and out of the Ministry occasionally to make it seem like he approved of what Scrimgeour had running."

"They must have been desperate. Harry would never agree to that," Sirius declared, taking a drink from his mug.

"Exactly. Harry told the Minister he had no inclination of doing that whatsoever. Scrimgeour tried to tell him that it was his duty to the rest of the world to do so."

"I bet that made Harry happy."

"He was furious," Hermione said, smiling at the memory. "But Scrimgeour was killed in a raid on a Death Eater camp. Stupid man insisted on going himself. I guess he was thinking he had an advantage, being the former head of the Auror department."

Sirius shook his head. "Foolish man."

"Quite so," she agreed, taking a drink from her own mug.

"So what did the Ministry have you doing in the first few years you were there? It couldn't have been much, what with you not having your N.E.W.T.s."

"Oh no. They were pleased to have me. I was helping out in the Auror department. I was doing some training to eventually become an Auror," Hermione said, feeling her heart sink. This was leading to waters she didn't want to go to.

Sirius frowned, clearly puzzled. "You went from Auror training to the Department of Mysteries? How did that happen?"

She panicked slightly. She didn't want to come back to this. "I changed my mind."

"That's a pretty big change of heart," he commented, looking at her over the rim of his mug.

She looked away. She knew it was a big change. But when he died, she found that she was at the center of attention. Everyone knew that they were engaged. Everyone wanted to pour their sympathy and pity on her. She was deluged. She didn't know how to handle it. So she took the easy way out. She vanished from the public eye by taking the vacancy in the Department of Mysteries. No one knew what she did down there, and it was supposed to stay that way. She found safety in the dark depths of the Ministry. No prying eyes or nosy people to throw their pity and sympathy on her. No questions asked.

"Hermione," Sirius said firmly, seeing the tragic look on her face, "whatever it is that's eating away at you, I don't need to know. But if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

She looked back at him, only to see him smiling kindly at her. His thoughtfulness and kindness was getting to her. She could feel the tears start to well up as she choked on the emotion. She had to flee this before she laid it all out for him to see.

"Thank you, Sirius," she whispered as she stood up. "I think I'll go back to bed now."

He watched her as she fled the kitchen, his mind buzzing. He felt awful for her. He knew what it was like to suffocate under the misery and sadness that had a hold on her. He didn't wish that on anyone. He knew the only way to make it go away was to talk about it. He wondered if she had spoken to Ginny or Harry about it.

Ginny and Harry. They had exchanged sad looks with Hermione at dinner, but had sad nothing. They knew what was going on. Sirius's mind whirled faster, making his head throb. Why was he being left out of the loop? Or was he? Maybe Ginny and Harry didn't want to talk about it either?

Whatever it was, Sirius made it his mission to discover the secret at the Order meeting. Then maybe he could figure out a way to make Hermione feel better. Living in misery was not a way to live at all.

0000

Hermione was utterly amazed to find the Ministry swarming with reporters and photographers when she arrived in the morning. If she had thought that the Atrium couldn't get any worse than it already was with the extra security, she thought wrong. The Atrium was _packed._ The place was a scene of mass confusion and chaos. Workers streamed everywhere, trying to get to the security checkpoints so they could proceed to their offices. Extra security officers were staged here and there among the chaos, trying to keep the reporters under control.

Hermione's eyes widened considerably when the reporters started rushing her, screaming questions at her and yelling her name to attract her attention.

"How did you do it, Ms. Granger?"

"Is Sirius Black in a lucid frame of mind?"

"Does he have any debilitating injuries or conditions?"

"How long have you been working on bringing him back?"

Hermione stepped back a few steps, unsure of what to do. She looked around wildly for one of the security officers, but found that most of them were trying to control the back of the mob of reporters. She would get no help from them.

"It's okay, I've got this," a voice said in her ear as a strong hand was placed on her shoulder.

Hermione looked up into the face of Harry, who was glaring at the reporters in front of them. He drew himself up to his full height and straightened his shoulders. His wand in one hand, he yanked out his Auror badge with the other and flashed it to the crowd.

"As your friendly neighborhood Auror, I expect you to make way for the lady and stop harassing her, otherwise I will be forced to use my wand. And that will not make me happy, as it is far too early to start hexing people and it won't make me your friendly neighborhood Auror any longer," Harry barked out, making sure everyone had a clear view of his wand.

The reporters and photographers parted to make a path for the two to move through, but the questions still poured in from all sides, now directed at Harry too, as he was Sirius's godson. Harry refused to acknowledge that any of them were there and concentrated on getting Hermione through the mess safely.

Once they were both safely on the other side of the security checkpoints, she finally spoke.

"That was bloody ridiculous. I had no idea this was going to happen."

Harry shook his head grimly. "This isn't going to make things any more safer for Sirius, I can promise that."

"Have you seen the _Prophet _at all yet?"

"No, but I want to get my hands on one as soon as I can."

Hermione looked around to make sure there was nobody in earshot. "This is going to make things really difficult. We're going to have to be extra careful from now on."

Harry nodded. "Still, at least there's dinner tonight."

Hermione remembered the Order meeting scheduled for later that night and was slightly reassured.

The two got on one of the lifts, which was still mercifully empty, as most of the workers were still trying to battle their way through the pandemonium in the Atrium. Hermione said good bye to Harry as he stepped off to head to the Auror department and was left in peaceful silence as she rode the rest of the way down to the Department of Mysteries.

Her peace didn't last long. She had barely settled herself at her desk when a copy of the _Prophet _was slammed down in front of her. She gave a little hop in her seat and blinked down at the front page, most of which was devoted to a large picture of Sirius, the one they had used on his wanted posters.

"Explain," Adam Reese demanded, his arms crossed as he stared down at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You are ridiculous. I have no idea how I did it."

"Bullshit. You know. You just aren't saying."

The lack of sleep last night was already starting to get to her. Her blood pressure spiked markedly and her temper, always so close to the surface these days, threatened to boil over.

"Reese, I have no idea. I'm telling the truth. I still have a lot of stuff to accomplish with the Veil, and that's one of the things I aim to find out. But I can't do that when I've got you lording over me all the time asking me stupid ass questions and acting like an ass. You are not my boss, nor do I have to explain things to you. I answer to the Minister and the Minister only. If you want information, petition him. In the meantime, leave me the hell alone so that I can finish my investigation in peace and quiet."

Reese stepped back a few paces. He had never seen Hermione in a true rage before, but this was pretty damn close, and it was too early in the morning to have a woman screaming at him.

"As you wish, my sweet," he said rather annoyingly, bowing gracefully before retreating from the office.

Hermione let out a growl of frustration at his retreating back and had to restrain the urge to hex him to hell as he walked out of sight. He knew just what to do to make a perfectly good morning bad. Well, that was if you factored out being mobbed by the press as soon as you walked into the Ministry.

She ran an aggravated hand through her hair and was startled once more by the appearance of the Minister's official owl. She took the letter from its beak and offered it a treat before it flew off again. Wondering what the Minister wanted this time, she broke the seal and commenced to reading.

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_I am most anxious to speak to you once more on your investigation. I would like to know the condition of the Veil and am curious to know your take on how you brought Mr. Black back to us. Please check on the condition of the Veil, then report to me in my office as soon as you possibly can._

_Most appreciatively,_

_Minister Cornwell_

Hermione sighed. She would be lucky if she ever finished this investigation.

0000

Sirius sat at the table in the middle of the crowded kitchen of number twelve. The Order meeting was set to begin shortly, and in the meantime, everyone was trying to talk to him all at once. The story in the _Prophet_ had caused quite a stir in the magical community, and nearly everyone present had read it.

There was really only one person Sirius wanted to see at the moment. It had been ten long years, and he missed his best friend greatly. Sirius wanted to know what had happened to Remus that had nearly cost him his life. And he wanted to hear all about his relationship with his darling cousin Tonks.

He wasn't disappointed. Remus walked in with Tonks in tow just behind Dumbledore.

"Moony!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from the table.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted.

They both laughed as they hugged each other, then stepped back. Tonks appeared at Remus's elbow, positively beaming.

"I knew you'd come back," she declared as she hugged her cousin tightly.

Sirius caught sight of the small diamond on her finger as she let go of him and grinned widely.

"So, Moony, you've been busy while I've been gone," he teased.

Tonks turned a shade of pink similar to that of her hair, but wrapped an arm around Remus's waist anyway. "It only took me a year or so to convince him that I wanted him just as he was."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I was stubborn, I'll admit it."

"Get used to it, Tonks. He's been like that since we were just kids," Sirius said seriously, socking Remus in the arm as he scowled at his friend.

Remus was about to say something back, but Dumbledore had cleared his throat and took up his usual spot at the head of the long table. Everyone in the kitchen quieted down and shuffled around to take their seats, eager to hear what news there was this week.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked around at all the eager faces staring at him.

"Well, as I'm sure you've all noticed, Sirius Black is back with us once more," he started, to which everyone began clapping and cheering.

Sirius gave everyone a wave and grinned. It was good to be welcomed back by all the people he cared about. Well, definitely not Snape, who he noticed was far from clapping and wishing him well, but that was okay, as Sirius was far from ever feeling any warm fuzzy feelings for the greasy git.

"And we can all thank Hermione for bringing him back," Dumbledore said, gesturing to her place at the end of the table.

Hermione grinned in an embarrassed sort of way as everyone congratulated her on such a monumental feat.

"I'm sure that you all want to know how she did it and what she did to do it," Dumbledore assumed, while everyone nodded eagerly.

Hermione stood up. "Actually, I'm not sure how I did it. There was a rather complex spell involved, and it took me two tries to get it right. But I had thought that if I brought Sirius back, then the rest of the people who had vanished behind the Veil over the years would have returned as well. I was wrong though, and I am happy to report that the Veil can no longer be used for evil deeds. The portal that it was has been destroyed. It is no more than a tattered piece of fabric hanging from an arch."

Dumbledore beamed at her. "Very well done, Ms. Granger. This is very good news indeed. As most of you do not know, the Veil was used over the years as punishment for those who did not follow the rules of the Dark Lord in reign. We can thank Merlin for the creation of the Veil, and thank Ms. Granger even more for destroying the portal. We can rest assured that the Veil will not be used for evil in the hands of Voldemort or his followers."

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now, on with business. I believe that Kingsley has some news to share with us on the situation with the Ministry being infiltrated."

Kingsley stood up and cleared his throat. "I have received information from some of my moles that the Ministry has indeed been infiltrated by some of Voldemort's followers."

The atmosphere of the kitchen instantly darkened. Hermione exchanged a worried look with Harry, while Tonks laid a comforting hand on her arm. Ginny looked to her parents, who looked worried, but resigned to the danger of being a Ministry worker.

"I am not sure, however, who the spies are or what departments they are in. I do know that they have been well-placed in several important departments," Kingsley explained.

Arthur and Molly gave Hermione, Harry and Tonks rather alarmed looks. The Auror department was a very important department indeed, and the Department of Mysteries, what with the secretive subject matter that was dealt with deep in its bowels was a favored target as well.

"It is imperative that we keep our eyes peeled and our defenses high," Kingsley asserted. "We cannot afford any mistakes or losses now. We need everyone on hand to fight at a moment's notice."

There was a mumbled agreement around the kitchen.

Sirius was floored. He had no idea just how bad things were at the moment. This meeting was a rude awakening to a man who disappeared from the world before the war had really begun.

"Dumbledore, what can I do?" Sirius asked as everyone began to talk of what to do with this new information.

Dumbledore surveyed him carefully. "I'm not entirely sure it's wise for you to put yourself out in the open, Sirius."

He had a feeling this was to be the answer. "Dumbledore. Come now, we're all targets whether we realize it or not. I may be a bigger target, but I want to help. I can protect myself, and I would be one more man to help fight. We need everyone we can get."

Dumbledore peered at him thoughtfully over the tops of his spectacles. "I shall think on it, Sirius."

Sirius sat back in his chair, annoyed, but the slightest bit hopeful that he could help fight. He was not going to stand for sitting around the house all day again while everyone was out doing their best to bring Voldemort's regime down.

"Who's staying for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley called out as she began to pull eatables from the pantry.

Dumbledore agreed to stay, as did the rest of the Weasley family and Kingsley, Tonks and Remus. Everyone else voiced their thanks, but declined and began to file up the stairs to depart.

Sirius sat back and watched idly as the women bustled about, chopping vegetables, stirring pots and tossing the salad. He was trying to digest all the information he had just heard. It was proving to be rather difficult.

"What's wrong with you, Sirius? You're never this quiet."

Sirius looked across the table to see the grinning face of George Weasley.

"Just trying to process all this news," he said easily.

George nodded soberly. "It's too bad this is the world you had to come back to."

Sirius shrugged. "I knew it was bound to happen eventually. I just hope that Dumbledore allows me to help out in any way I can."

"He will, don't worry about it, mate," George said bracingly.

"So how do you like being an uncle?" Sirius asked as he watched George scoop Sophie up into his lap.

"She's gonna be handful when she gets older, I can guarantee that," George joked as he tugged lightly on Sophie's curls.

Sirius chuckled as Sophie gave a squeal and swatted at George's hand. He briefly thought of his desires to have a family of his own, but quickly stifled the thought. It was no time to think of starting a family, not in the dangerous world they were all living in at the present.

Hermione glanced at Sirius from her spot in front of the stove, where she was sauteeing some vegetables for their dinner. She could tell he absolutely adored Sophie. Perhaps she was biased, but she thought anyone would be crazy not to love that adorable little girl.

"He seems to be getting on well with the little one," Ginny commented as she tipped some more chopped vegetables into Hermione's pan.

"Yes, he does," Hermione agreed.

"It was rather nice to have him around today. I was actually able to get some cleaning done," Ginny admitted.

"Makes me wonder when he's going to find someone to settle down with to start a family of his own," Hermione laughed, even though her heart clenched at the thought of a family.

Ginny giggled. "If he's the same as he was before he went into the Veil, then I doubt the playboy will ever settle down."

Sirius tilted his butterbeer bottle back as he looked around the kitchen. It was almost like old times with everyone crowded around the table, visiting and joking with one another. Arthur was talking seriously with Dumbledore at the end of the table, Tonks was now entertaining Sophie by changing her appearance at will, Remus was talking with Charlie Weasley about the recruitment of foreign wizards into the Order's cause, and the eldest Weasley son, Bill, was swapping stories with the twins, while his wife, Fleur, was busy helping Hermione, Ginny, and Molly at the stove and counters.

Sirius frowned. He took a mental tally and realized the numbers weren't adding up. The twins, Charlie and Bill, Ginny, and her parents. But why weren't Percy and Ron here?

He turned to Tonks, who presently had a nose that greatly resembled a pig snout.

"Percy never reconcile with the family, then?"

Tonks shook her head and gave a tut of annoyance. "Nope. The boy has yet to learn that the family is more important than the job."

Sirius nodded and mentally checked the name off his list. That left the youngest Weasley boy, Ron. Things were starting to fall into place now. All he needed was the full story.

"Why so serious, Padfoot?" Remus asked, having finished his foreign wizard conversation with Charlie, who had now joined in with his father and Dumbledore.

Sirius shook his head. "I've just been looking around to see who's all here. But I'm one short. Where's Ron?"

Remus looked around to see that all the Weasleys were engaged in conversation. There was no need to drag down their spirits right now. He turned back to Sirius, who was looking puzzled.

"Three years ago, there was a very important raid on a Death Eater camp," Remus began in a low voice. "We needed all hands on deck, which included Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were all in Auror training. We were looking for the Death Eaters responsible for the murder of Mad Eye Moody. We had a few insiders who said that those responsible were at this camp."

Sirius nodded, glancing around the kitchen to make sure no one was listening in.

"We stormed the camp with large numbers on our side. A battle ensued. That's the night I nearly died," Remus added.

Tonks looked around at them. In an instant, she knew what Remus was telling her cousin. She put her hand over Remus's and squeezed it tightly.

Remus smiled at her and took courage from her touch.

"We thought we had large numbers, but it was nearly three to one, in the Death Eaters' favor. We managed to take down quite a few, but there were many strong ones left, your darling cousin Bellatrix included."

"Bitch," Sirius muttered.

Remus's mouth twitched. "Yes, you could say that. Anyways, Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing remarkably well for being in training still. It really wasn't a surprise though. I'm sure you've heard the stories of how they didn't finish Hogwarts?"

Sirius nodded. "Hermione told me last night."

"They faced more in those months they were on the run than what most of us have faced in battle, I'm sure of it. But then Hermione got in a tangle with Bellatrix."

Sirius's hands closed into fists without his realizing it.

"I'll admit, Hermione finally developed quite a mouth by that battle. She was taunting Bellatrix mercilessly as they fought. I was quite proud of her, actually. She had grown out of her bookish tendencies, thankfully."

"Go on," Sirius urged when Remus stopped for a drink of his own butterbeer.

"But Hermione slipped up. I don't blame her; she was very brave for taking on Bellatrix. She lasted much longer than most people her age would have. Suddenly she was at Bellatrix's mercy. Bella was going to kill her, Hermione knew it. There wasn't much she could do to defend herself though, as Bella had disabled her with a jinx well below her standards, the Body Bind."

"Oh no," Sirius breathed.

"I'm not even one hundred percent sure how it all happened," Remus said sadly, "but one minute Bella was raising her wand to strike the fatal blow, and the next, Ron was running right into the path of her curse."

Sirius dropped his head and rubbed a hand across his face. He had always been fond of his godson's best friend. He was one of those kind of people you could count on to always be there.

"There was nothing anyone could have done. Half of us didn't even know what had happened until after the fact. Hermione was devastated. She carries the guilt that if she hadn't been locked in the Body Bind, she would have been able to save him."

"Tell him the rest, Remus," Tonks said quietly. Her eyes were rimmed red as she controlled her tears.

Remus sighed deeply. "He and Hermione were engaged. He had proposed a week before the battle. They were going to get married at the end of summer that year."

Sirius's heart clenched tightly. So that was why Hermione had changed so much. That was why she had dropped the Auror training for the Department of Mysteries. That was why she had the nightmares and was unwilling to talk about them.

"She's never allowed herself to properly grieve for him," Tonks whispered sadly as she watched Hermione fill a bowl with the vegetables she had sauteed.

"She doesn't talk about him at all. She keeps it all inside," Remus added.

Sirius quickly arranged his face into a smile when Hermione walked over to the table to place the bowl of vegetables down.

"Dinner's ready," she told them all.

Ginny and Molly quickly followed with more dishes and bowls of delicious smelling food. Plates were set down in front of everyone, as was the cutlery. Glasses were refilled, bottles replaced, and everyone dug into the meal.

Hermione sat across from Sirius, eating and joking with Fred, who sat next to her. Sirius watched her covertly as he ate his dinner. Even when she was laughing at Fred's jokes, her eyes were still hollow and sad. Sirius couldn't even begin to imagine how she must have felt in the first days after Ron's death.

Hermione caught him watching her and offered him a smile before she took a drink of her tea. He was acting very peculiar this evening. She chose to ignore it though. She had news to tell him.

"Sirius, I spoke with the Minister today."

"Oh?"

"He wishes me to interrogate you about your time behind the Veil. Part of the investigation," she said almost apologetically.

"What's that going to help any if the Veil's been sealed off?" Sirius asked curiously.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Even with the Veil sealed off, Cornwell wants to know of your experiences in the portal. I think he has something in mind, but I'm not going to say in case I'm wrong. I hope you don't mind the interrogating."

Sirius waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah, don't worry about it. We'll just see how much I remember. Do you have to put me under some kind of spell or force Veritaserum down my throat?"

Hermione laughed. "The Minister did suggest it, but I know that you'll be entirely truthful. I really appreciate the cooperation, Sirius."

"Not a problem. Anything to help speed you along your investigation."

She turned back to the twins, who picked up their teasing and jokes. Sirius found himself wanting to make the sadness leave her eyes. He wondered if that was even possible anymore. He wanted to make her misery go away, because living in misery would only drag her down further.

He just hoped that she couldn't be dragged down deeper than she already was.


	6. An Interrogation and an Ambush

**Disclaimer:** No Sirius in my Easter basket. . .perhaps my birthday, then?

**A.N.** I'm gonna apologize right now for how awful this chapter may seem. I've been running on five nearly sleepless nights and a minor writer's block. So bear with me. Any and all comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Six: **An Interrogation and an Ambush

Sirius Black was a lucky man by anyone's standards. He'd escaped from Azkaban when it was thought that the dementors sapped most prisoners of their sanity. Though he had to admit, being an Animagus helped him out of that one.

He'd been blessed to have a godson to look after for a brief period of time once he'd escaped from Azkaban. Harry brought out the best in Sirius, which he didn't think was possible, due to his unfortunate upbringing and all the misery and hatred he'd had to put up with as a child and teenager.

He'd even been given a third chance at life. He was like a cat with nine lives, though he had now used up three of them. He figured those were good odds; six lives left to use up, and by the sound of things in the current state of affairs, he could definitely use those six lives.

The experience with the Veil gave him a different perspective on life. He'd been selfish for many years before he had disappeared behind the Veil and had never appreciated much of what was in his life, except for Harry. Now that he had returned from the Veil, he would never again take for granted the things and people in his life. He had a better appreciation for life itself now. He felt extremely lucky to have been given as many chances as he'd been handed. Hardly anyone else could be considered so lucky.

Hermione was such a person, in Sirius's opinion. She'd cheated death so many other times in her life and was very lucky indeed to have lived to her current age of twenty five. Being Harry Potter's best friend had its drawbacks, that much was for sure. She could have died that night in the Department of Mysteries when Sirius had disappeared. But they didn't call her the cleverest witch of her age for nothing.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had cheated death so many times that lured her into a false sense of security once she had matured into an adult. Remus had told him that she had considered herself 'invincible' because she had made it so far in her life. That invincibility is what made her crash and burn so hard after Ron was killed. She had thought that her invincibility blanketed those around her, so they would be protected as well.

It may have been foolish, but Sirius understood that feeling well. He remembered when he was in his twenties, just like Harry and Hermione and Ron. He had Moony and James. The Marauder-era trio, if you will. They had been exceptionally stupid and naive in their day, but the three were in the same boat that Hermione and Harry and Ron were in. Voldemort was powerful and taking over everywhere. They had felt young and strong and sure that they could tackle a few Death Eaters that came their way. Isn't that what all the young people thought?

Sirius had sobered up quickly once James and Lily were killed. He knew all too well what Hermione was dealing with. He had felt as though a part of himself had died right along with James and Lily. Surely that was what Hermione felt as well.

But according to Remus, nobody really knew what Hermione was feeling, because she wouldn't open up and talk about what happened. All anyone knew was that Hermione Granger was no longer the same person she had been. She seemed much older than she should have been for twenty five. She was like an old soul in Sirius's eyes. Twenty five years old and she'd already given up on life.

Sirius couldn't let that happen. He knew what it was like to give up on life. He'd done it once before. He wouldn't let her misery be her downfall. She had so much more to live for. She still had all the time in the world. Who knew? Maybe she'd find another special someone and settle down to start a family.

Seeing Harry and Ginny with Sophie made Sirius strongly consider that option. He had always said if the time was right and he was free and clear to make his own choices, he would have liked to start a family of his own. He'd have a family of his own and it would be so very different from the family he had been raised in. He'd make sure of that.

What he really wanted right now though was for Hermione to stop feeling sorry for herself. He knew that was what part of the problem was. She was being selfish for thinking that she was the only one who had ever suffered as horribly as she had. She wasn't stopping to put it all in perspective. That was surprising to Sirius, as she was living with her best friend who had lost both of his parents when he was just a baby. If anything, Harry should be the one feeling sorry for himself, as he never had the time to get to know and love his parents the way a normal child should have.

And then there was Ginny and the Weasley family. Ginny was Ron's sister. She had him for her whole life, as did the rest of the Weasley siblings. And what about Ron's parents? Hadn't they suffered greatly because of the loss of their son? Hermione had only known Ron for a short period of time compared to the rest of the Weasley family.

Sirius hoped that with time, he could get Hermione to trust him enough so that she would open up and talk to him. He could make her see the light. He had gone through so much of the same that Hermione had gone through. If there was anyone who understood the most, it was him.

Yes, an intervention was what Hermione needed the most. Then she could begin to heal.

* * *

Hermione paced the library, deep in thought. The crackling fire warded off some of the late spring chill that was threatening to invade the house. She paid her surroundings no mind. She had more important things to worry about. Like the fact that she had to begin her interrogation of Sirius soon. Preferably that night, at least, that was what the Minister wanted.

She had to begin it soon, otherwise she might not get the chance. Dumbledore had searched her out during her lunch hour that afternoon to feel her out about an upcoming mission for the Order. Dumbledore was unsure if it was wise to send Hermione out on a mission with the four-year anniversary of Ron's death looming over everyone's shoulders, but decided that letting her make up her own mind was the wisest thing to do.

He explained the entire mission to her as best he could without being overheard by the wrong people. She would join Tonks, Remus, Kingsley and a few other members of the Order on a reconnaissance mission in the remote mountains to scout out any new Death Eater camps. If any were found, they were to avoid engaging them at all costs. If they had to engage to save their lives, then they were to send for back up, which would be on hand to leave at a moment's notice.

Hermione had listened to this all quietly, chewing her lip thoughtfully as she observed the table in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest. The mission sounded dangerous, but she would be in the capable hands of Remus, Tonks and Kingsley. Kingsley would never let anything terrible happen to them, not while they were under his watch. And Remus would just as soon let something happen to Tonks as tangle with Fenrir Greyback.

Remus and Tonks. For a brief moment, Hermione's heart seized up. What if something happened to one of them? It would be the same as when Ron died. She was struck with the sudden urge to get up and walk, no, _run_ away from the old man and the opportunity he was laying before her. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Remus or Tonks, nor could she stand the idea of one of them losing the other.

Against her better judgment, she agreed to go along on the mission. With things at the Ministry getting more and more suspicious, it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose, and when it did, Hermione wanted to be as ready as possible.

"Hermione?"

She halted in the middle of the library, snapping her head up at the intruder. It was Sirius.

"Hello, Sirius. What's up?"

"I was about to ask you the same. Are you all right?"

She plastered a smile on. "Lovely, I was just thinking."

Sirius chuckled. "Some pretty deep thinking. I don't think Ginny would like it very much if you wore down the new carpet in here with your pacing."

"No, she probably wouldn't," she admitted sheepishly.

"Care to enlighten me as to what you were thinking on?" he asked as he sprawled on the long couch.

"Actually, I was thinking over what I was going to ask you about when I interrogate you," she admitted, smacking his feet down from the couch so that she could sit too.

He gave her a pouty look and instead settled his feet on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Oh? Planning on doing that soon, are you?"

"The Minister would like me to do it tonight. At least, that's what he told me when he called me into his office yet again today," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Sirius frowned. "Daily meetings with the Minister now?"

Hermione nodded. "He desperately wants this business finished. I don't know why, seeing as the Veil is now completely harmless."

"Perhaps he wants to destroy it so that there is no chance of restoring it," Sirius mused as he rested his head on the back of the couch.

She thought for a moment. "That wouldn't be surprising, actually. Things are getting fishier around the Ministry. But if he wants to destroy the Veil, I don't see why he would want records of its existence laying around to be found."

He grinned at her. "The mind of a Minister is very rarely understandable. I don't get how some of them end up in office."

"Agreed. So would you mind if I interrogated you tonight? So I can get Cornwell off my back?"

Sirius looked at her and saw some of that old flame fire up in her eyes. He was relieved to see she still had it, even if it was buried deep.

"Sure. This isn't going to involve torture, is it?" he asked saucily.

Hermione laughed. "No, but I'm sure I could manage some, if you're up to it."

"Kinky, Hermione. Whatever your taste is," he teased, giving her the old wink.

She rolled her eyes. "I see that some things never change. No torture, I promise. All I want you to do is talk to me about your time behind the Veil while I record it. Think you can handle it?"

Sirius sighed in a long suffering way. "Oh, I don't know. What do I get out of it?"

"My promise that the Ministry won't be bugging you again."

"I think I can handle it then. Ask away," he said, settling himself comfortably on the couch.

Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered a charm. "Unspeakable Hermione Granger, case number 8297, interrogation of Sirius Black, first reported victim of the Veil to return to the real world. Mr. Black, what can you tell me about your time behind the Veil?"

Sirius tried to hide his grin at her extreme professionalism all of a sudden. Failing miserably, he decided to just answer the question as best he could.

"Most of the time, it was like I was floating around in a dark abyss. At first, I felt like I was drowning, and I panicked. Nobody can imagine what it feels like to be constantly drowning, like you can't draw a breath. But I wasn't dying. There were others too, but I never saw them, I only heard their voices. It was like living underwater. The further away from the Veil I got, the darker my surroundings became. But the closer to the Veil I got, the lighter it became. But I couldn't force my way back out. I could only come very, very close to the Veil, but never touch it. I tried yelling to attract attention when I first fell through, but nobody ever came. The voices I heard told me not to waste my breath, they too had tried yelling, to no avail."

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. She couldn't imagine how big of a letdown it was to be told that nobody was coming for him.

"What did you do after you realized nobody was coming for you, Mr. Black?"

He made a face at being addressed as thus, but refrained from commenting on it.

"I just let go. I stopped fighting against my surroundings."

Hermione frowned. "How so?"

"It felt as though the force that kept me floating around was trying to drag me deeper into the dark abyss, away from the light and away from the Veil. Once I realized that no one was coming for me, I essentially gave up. I allowed the force to drag me deeper. I just existed. I didn't have basic needs anymore. I didn't need food, I wasn't hungry. I didn't need water because I wasn't thirsty. I didn't need sleep because I wasn't tired. I didn't feel any kind of emotion any longer because there was no outside stimulus to make me angry or sad or happy."

Hermione thought that had to have been horrible. To not feel anything or require the basic needs of survival. Of course, not feeling anything didn't sound half bad to her at the moment, but she brushed that aside.

"Were you aware of my attempts to try to bring back the people lost to the Veil?"

"Yes, actually. You see, time occurred very slowly in the Veil. It seemed as though I had only been in there for a short period of time, but then, from a long way off, I heard a voice unlike any I had heard in the darkness. I began to fight the force so I could get closer to the light, which is where the voice sounded like it was coming from. The closer I got to the Veil, the more familiar the voice was, as I could hear it better. I fought the force to stay close to the Veil so I could hear it. I began to think again, and it was only a matter of time before I realized that it was you on the other side of the Veil."

Hermione nodded, understanding her parchment investigation. "What did you do when you realized that I was on the other side of the Veil?"

"I began yelling again. I hoped that you would hear me," Sirius said with a smile.

She returned his smile, feeling the small hole that his absence had created seal itself up. "What happened to you when you returned? Did you feel anything?"

"I could hear you on the other side of the Veil, and I knew what you were trying to do. I wanted to do something to help, and I kept struggling against the force that was trying to drag me back. I wanted to get closer to the Veil. I thought if I could get just a little closer, I had a better chance of getting out. I was wearing myself out, though. I couldn't get closer, no matter how hard I struggled. I heard your first attempt at the spell you cast. On the other side of the Veil, my surroundings shuddered, and I felt the force pull stronger, like it was resisting at giving me up. The second time you cast the spell, I jerked against the force at about the same time that the spell hit the Veil. I don't know if that's what got me back, but all I knew was that the moment I jerked away from the force and the moment the spell hit the Veil, it was like I finally ripped myself free. The next thing I knew, I was tumbling head first from the Veil and lying on the stone floor."

Hermione gave him an apologetic look before waving her wand once more to end the recording. "Well, that should make Cornwell happy."

Sirius looked thoughtful. "You know, I'm actually sort of glad that you had to do this."

"Why's that?"

"I haven't really stopped to think about my time behind the Veil. But now that I've talked about it, I can remember it more clearly, and it makes me all the more grateful that I'm back," he declared, wondering if she would take stock in his words.

Hermione looked thoughtful too. "That's good, Sirius. I'm glad I helped."

Sirius looked for some kind of dawning of realization in her eyes, but found none. He gave a tiny sigh, wondering what it was going to take for her to wake up.

"So why did Cornwell choose tonight for you to do the interrogation?" he asked lazily, resting his head against the couch and tilting it to look at her.

She shrugged. "Other than wanting to get it done, I don't think he really had a reason."

He snorted. "And you really take stock in what he says?"

"Well, he is my superior," Hermione defended.

"You'll soon realize it's not always imperative that you listen to your superiors," Sirius said wisely.

"Like you've ever listened to your superiors," Hermione scoffed.

Sirius pretended to look offended. "I've listened to my superiors. Mind you, it hasn't happened since I was a lad in Hogwarts, but that's not the point."

Hermione nodded knowingly. "Of course, Sirius, whatever you say."

"Hey, who do I have to listen to right now anyway? I don't have a job, and I don't have anyone to order me around," Sirius reasoned.

"Dumbledore and Ginny," she said. "Dumbledore's in charge of the Order, and Ginny's running this house, and like hell will she let you get away with anything under her nose."

Sirius laughed. "Okay, I guess you've got me. I give up."

Hermione shook her head. "I had my own reasons for doing the interrogation tonight anyway."

"Oh?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I wasn't sure if I'd have another chance after tonight."

"Going on a trip somewhere?" he asked absentmindedly, looking around the library and admiring all the work that had been done.

"More like a mission for the Order," she said grimly.

Sirius's eyes snapped back to her. "What?"

She sighed. "Dumbledore approached me today during my lunch hour to see if I wanted to go on this mission with Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and a few others. We're supposed to be heading for the remote mountains to find more Death Eater camps. We're not supposed to engage though. Just search them out, then report their locations back to Dumbledore when we've found them. If we get caught, we're only supposed to engage to save ourselves and send word off that we need backup."

Sirius looked troubled. "Why did Dumbledore ask you to go?"

Hermione looked slightly offended. "I don't know, why wouldn't he?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean it like that," he apologized quickly, seeing the hurt look on her face.

"It's fine," she said, though he could tell from her stiff posture that he had offended her.

"Really," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I apologize. It just sounds like a dangerous mission to be going on. You can't blame me for worrying."

She relaxed a bit from her stiff posture and offered him a small smile. She was touched that he was worried about her. It was nice to be cared about.

"When do you leave?" he asked, the tiny spot of worry in his stomach gnawing at him.

"Tomorrow after work. Kingsley's hoping that it won't take that long to find the camps. He's got a good idea of where they might be at. With any luck, we'll be back before midnight tomorrow," she said in a slightly confident tone.

"Do Harry and Ginny know?"

"Yes, and Harry's not pleased that he can't go, but Kingsley flat out refused to let him go along."

Sirius was puzzled. "But Harry's a spanking good Auror, why wouldn't Kingsley let him go?"

She smiled wryly. "That's the problem, Harry's an excellent Auror. He's second in command when Kingsley's not around. Kingsley doesn't want something to happen to the both of them on a mission, which is why one or the other usually goes. If something were to happen to both of them, the Order would be quite screwed, as would the Ministry."

Sirius nodded. "Well, I suppose it's for the best. What do they think of you going along?"

Hermione made a face. "Ginny's not happy about it at all, but she'll just have to accept it. I haven't been doing much for the Order lately, and with things at the Ministry getting more and more suspicious, I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before the moles come out in the open and there's an attempted overthrow of the Ministry. I want to be ready for that day."

Sirius couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. The fierce sense of pride and resignation to battle could clearly be seen in her eyes. It made him long for that adrenaline rush again.

It must have shown on his face, for Hermione suddenly turned stern. "Don't go getting any ideas there, Mr. Black."

He shrugged. "Dunno what you're talking about."

"I mean it, Sirius," she said somewhat anxiously. "There's a lot at stake here, and we need you more than you think. When the right mission comes along, I'm sure Dumbledore will send you out."

"Yeah, sure," he said with a bitter smile.

It was Hermione's turn to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I mean it. You'll get your chance, and when you do, I'm sure you'll be able to take them all down, what with your pent up frustration."

Sirius brightened a little, his humor getting the best of him. "I could think of a few things I could do to release some of that pent up frustration."

Hermione made a face at him and got up from the couch. "Ugh, you certainly know how to ruin a perfectly nice moment. I'm going to bed."

He chuckled as he watched her go. "Sleep well, Hermione."

She answered with a disgusted sigh and a wave of her hand.

* * *

Ginny paced back and forth in front of the fire in the kitchen, wringing her hands anxiously and casting worried looks at the small group of people sitting at the table.

"I wish you'd all eat something before you go," she managed out.

"No time, Ginny. Kingsley's due here any minute," Remus said, giving her a comforting smile.

Hermione sat with her head in her hands, not looking at anyone. She was trying to calm her nerves and psych herself up for this mission. She had gotten up with a headache this morning, and by the time she had returned to number twelve to wait for Kingsley, she had a softball-sized knot twisting uncomfortably in her stomach.

"You all right?" Tonks asked her quietly.

"Fine," she said without thinking.

"Hermione, really, I wish you'd reconsider," Ginny said desperately, watching her friend's face turn pasty as Kingsley walked into the room.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

Hermione got up to join Remus, Tonks and the others as they gathered around Kingsley for instructions. She could still feel Ginny's eyes boring a hole into the back of her skull.

"Right then, for now, the plan is to stick together. We've got a big enough group that we can split off to look around if we have to. Just remember, do not engage with any of them at all costs. If they spot us, you're to defend yourselves and get out. Nothing more. We don't want any casualties tonight," Kingsley said in his deep voice.

Harry sat at the table with Sirius, watching the group with jealousy. Sirius couldn't help but grin at the sour look on his face.

"I'm sure you'll get to go next time, Harry," he said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't see why I can't go now. They need all the help they can get," Harry ground out through gritted teeth.

"You're the best we've got besides Kingsley. What if something happened to both of you?" Sirius reasoned, remembering his conversation with Hermione last night.

"Nothing would happen to the both of us because we've always got each other's back," Harry fumed.

"Harry, don't be stupid. You know the stakes are high, and you've got a family to take care of now," Ginny hissed at him as she sat across from him with Sophie in her lap.

"Mummy, where's Aunt Ah-my-knee going?" Sophie asked, looking at Hermione as she stood listening to Kingsley.

"She's got something important to do tonight, sweetie. She's helping Uncle Kingsley and Dumbledore with something big," Ginny explained, tucking a curl of hair behind her little ear.

"She looks scared," Sophie declared.

Ginny exchanged a look with Harry and Sirius. Sirius was amazed at how bright Sophie was for three years old. Harry nodded understandingly and gave Ginny a look of comfort.

"Right then, let's go," Kingsley said, beckoning everyone to follow him up the stairs to leave.

Hermione looked back at her friends one last time before she followed the crowd upstairs. They all looked tense and worried. She tried to give them a smile of reassurance, but her face felt like it was frozen.

"Coming?" Tonks asked as she began to ascend the stairs.

Hermione broke eye contact with Sirius and nodded. She gave them all a wave before following Tonks. The knot in her stomach lurched painfully and her mouth felt dry. She dripped her wand tightly as she Disapparated.

* * *

Hermione kept close behind Tonks as the group moved slowly through the snow covered passes of the mountains. Though it was springtime, they found themselves covered in snow as they trudged on through the rocky landscape.

Kingsley was in the lead, his wand lit and held aloft. The light was failing rapidly, which Hermione didn't like in the least, but she knew it was for the best so they would be able to move under the cover of darkness. Every now and then, Tonks would look back at her to give her a reassuring smile. She could hear Remus moving along behind her, the last in the pack, making sure to erase the footprints they were leaving behind.

It was now completely dark. Hermione's heart was hammering away rapidly in her chest. She was drawing ragged breaths due to the intensity of the landscape. She began to wonder if she had made the right choice in accepting to go along on the mission. She felt she was out of her mind as she kept close to Tonks' coat tails. She gave an involuntary shiver as a cold breeze ruffled the hair lining her neck. With the darkness and the snow that was still falling, it was nearly impossible to see anything ahead of her.

Up ahead, Kingsley came to a halt. She drew even with Tonks and looked toward Kingsley, who was standing completely still, his head turning in all directions.

"What is it?" she whispered to Tonks.

Tonks shook her head, frowning as she gazed up at Kingsley. Hermione jerked her head around, trying to see something, anything in the darkness that enveloped them. She was starting to feel paranoid and panicky. She tightened her grip on her wand, feeling the sweat from her palms coat the wood.

Tonks hit her lightly on the shoulder, making Hermione look round at her. Tonks motioned for her to follow closely as she moved toward Kingsley, who was delegating everyone else into smaller groups. Hermione's panic momentarily subsided as she began to follow Kingsley into the darkness.

"What did you hear?" she asked as she trudged along next to him.

He shook his head. "I thought I heard shouting. It might have been the wind. We'll find out. We're getting close to where I think there are some camps. We just have to be careful to wipe out our steps."

Hermione glanced behind her, where Tonks was doing just that. She gave her another reassuring smile as she held her wand behind her, wiping out their trace.

Kingsley kept plowing forward through the snow, which was steadily piling up. Hermione found herself taking higher steps, as the snow was closing in on her knees. The wind was starting to pick up, whipping the snow that was falling into their faces. She tucked her face into the high collar of her coat, wishing she had a scarf to throw on as well.

She nearly ran into Kingsley when he stopped suddenly, his wand aloft and at the ready. She pulled her face from the collar of her coat, gripping her wand tightly as she raised her arm as well. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she thought the darkness had thinned a little. She glanced at Tonks again, but found that her attention was focused directly in front of them.

Hermione's knees shook slightly as she pressed closer to the two Aurors, her wand still held aloft. Her heart felt as though it would burst as it was now positively drumming. Her senses became keener; she could have sworn she heard voices on the wind. She looked questioningly to Kingsley, who was looking all around them once more.

He motioned for them to follow him. Tonks and Hermione crept along behind him, their wands at the ready, watching and waiting for something to happen. Kingsley led them to a large rock, which he ducked behind. They followed his actions, taking a moment to take a breath to calm their nerves. Hermione saw that Tonks was looking anxious now as well.

"What is it, Kingsley?" she asked urgently.

He motioned for them to be absolutely silent as he rose a few inches to peer over the ledge of the boulder they were hiding behind. Tonks copied him, her eyes widening in alarm. Hermione, now sick with panic, turned around to peek over the ledge of the boulder too.

She wasn't imagining things; the darkness had thinned considerably. She now saw why. The snow had lessened enough to greatly improve their visibility, only to reveal the largest Death Eater camp she had ever seen in the war so far. Not a hundred yards in front of them stood innumerable tents, fires blazing away in front of them. The ground had been cleared in the middle of the tents and a large bonfire was burning, silhouetting the people moving around in front of it. By the sound of things, most of the men were drunk, as they were yelling and carrying on as they danced in front of the fire to the sounds of an unseen guitar player.

Kingsley took a risk and craned his head a little further over the rock, looking to their left and right. He gave a small nod of satisfaction. Hermione looked around as well, puzzled. Then she saw the other groups of Order members moving around the perimeter of the camp. She felt a fresh wave of fear sweep over her and hoped that the others were being careful. She glanced at Tonks and saw that her eyes were worried as well as she followed the progress of the group to their right. Remus was in that group. Hermione put a hand on Tonks' shoulder in understanding.

"Now what?" Tonks asked Kingsley, who was watching the Death Eaters around the bonfire in the center of the camp.

"This is one of three that I'm sure is around here. We have to keep looking," Kingsley said stoutly, glancing sideways at Hermione to see how she was holding up.

She gave him a small smile and nodded. One down, two more to find. It shouldn't be that difficult. The Death Eaters tended to keep their camps in the same relative location to one another.

Her stomach tensed up once more when she realized they had to creep past this camp undetected. That was going to be a challenge, as the Death Eaters in the camp were moving around so much that she was sure they'd be spotted. She did trust Kingsley though, so she moved as quietly as possible behind him, her wand at the ready, Tonks close behind her, again wiping out their trail.

Soon the sounds of the camp faded into the gathering darkness as they moved on, keeping their eyes moving and their ears pricked for any sound that might reach them. Hermione was colder than she had ever been in her life, but she plowed on, wondering how the other groups were doing. Her teeth chattered and her arms shook with the cold, but she still kept moving.

Without warning, Kingsley seized her by the arms and shoved her to the side, throwing her into a boulder. She winced as she made direct contact with her shoulder on the sharp rock, but instantly saw Kingsley's reasoning. Jets of red light were shooting through the air over Kingsley's head, where he had dropped to the ground for cover. She watched wide-eyed as Tonks dropped beside him and took aim, firing hexes left and right.

Hermione ducked as a burst of green light shot over her head. It took a moment for her to regain her composure, but then she was ready. She gripped her wand with renewed strength, then thrust herself out into battle.

Hexes and curses were being thrown in every direction. She charged out into the fray, throwing her own curses as she rejoined Kingsley and Tonks. Tonks gave her a grin as she whipped her wand around. Tonks fed off the energy of a battle.

Hermione looked around and saw that the other groups were joining them, strengthening their numbers. Death Eaters were emerging from the darkness all around them. How they had seen or heard them was beyond Hermione's understanding, but she chose not to worry about it at the present time. She had to keep herself alive, as well as those around her.

The members of the Order were hexing and cursing the Death Eaters around them, slowly backing up in order to find a safe place to retreat from the battle. They weren't supposed to engage, but now their lives depended on it.

Hermione ducked and rolled through the snow as another curse was thrown at her. She peered through the darkness to see the large form of the Death Eater Yaxley grinning at her as he took aim again. She countered him quickly, sending him to the ground grunting in pain.

"Nice one, Hermione!" Tonks yelled as she dueled with Avery.

Hermione looked around in time to see Kingsley send off his Patronus for backup. She was momentarily relieved, but again was on her guard when Nott came charging out of the darkness at her. She hit him with a quick trip up jinx and he was sent sprawling.

"Hermione, you and Tonks go!" Remus yelled at her as he came charging past to get Tonks out of the way of Dolohov, who was grinning wickedly as he sent curse after curse in Tonks' direction.

"No! I'm staying!" Tonks yelled as she hit another Death Eater who was trying to sneak up behind her.

Hermione didn't have a chance to argue. Yaxley had regained his composure and was moving toward her again. She had never moved so fast in her life as she sent hex after hex and curse after curse at the hated man. Still, he never backed down, he even looked bored as he kept moving toward her, forcing her to move backward away from him.

She tripped over a rock on the ground and landed on her back. It wasn't exactly her idea of a good spot to be, but she continued to throw hexes at the bastard as he kept coming toward her.

"Give it up, Mudblood!" he yelled over the chaos around them.

"Nice try, Yaxley!" she called back as she tried to hit him with the Jelly Legs Jinx.

He blocked it, still grinning at her arrogantly. She gave a growl of frustration; seriously, did this man ever give up?!

Numerous loud pops from behind her announced the arrival of their backup at long last. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief even as she sent another curse hurling at Yaxley, who wasn't fast enough to block hers and the others that were sent flying by the backup behind her.

"Hermione, get out of here!" one of them bellowed as they all charged past her.

She stood up carefully, wondering if she should heed that request and get out while she still could. Feeling it would be cowardly to leave now without the first group, she decided to stay. Unfortunately, that decision was a bad one.

She turned to help Tonks tackle the two Death Eaters she was dueling at once and found Bellatrix Lestrange blocking her way. Emotions Hermione normally tried to keep locked away burst forth in her chest, and rage unlike any she had felt before consumed her.

"You!" she cried in fury.

"That's right, Mudblood!" Bella sang as she raised her wand.

Hermione gave a scream of rage and charged at her. They were locked in battle, everything going on around them forgotten as they focused on doing each other bodily harm. Hermione was completely consumed with the rage that filled her. She wanted nothing more than to kill the bitch in front of her. Predictably, so did Bellatrix.

Bella hit Hermione in the left leg with a curse. Hermione crumpled to the ground, her leg in complete agony, but she still continued to throw curses left and right, trying to maim Bellatrix.

"You can't win!" Bella taunted as she circled around her.

Hermione was finding it harder to concentrate on cursing her as the pain in her leg grew steadily more worse. Still, she wouldn't let Bella have the last word, even as she found she could barely move a minute more.

Her old schoolmate, Dean Thomas, came charging out of the darkness to ram Bella out of the way. He picked up the battle with her, leaving Hermione free.

"Hermione, go! I've got it!" Dean yelled at her as his wand whipped through the air.

Hermione tried to get up, only to fall back into the snow. Biting back tears of frustration and defeat, she slowly dragged herself away from the battle, hoping someone from the first group would see her and get her out of here.

Remus and Tonks came running out of the fight together, Remus sporting a bloody nose and Tonks cradling her left arm. They spotted Hermione and ran to her.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Tonks cried as she knelt down next to her.

Hermione looked down at her leg to see a long, deep gash running the length of her thigh. Blood was flowing freely and the pain was still building.

"Bellatrix," she breathed out, hoping she wasn't about to pass out.

"Come on, we're getting out of here. The second wave's got it under control," Remus said shortly as he snaked an arm around Hermione's waist to pull her up.

Without another word, Remus Apparated Hermione away, Tonks twisting in place to follow them.

* * *

Sirius took up Ginny's place in pacing by the fire. She had gone upstairs to put Sophie to bed, not being able to stand the wait any longer. Sophie had fallen asleep a few hours ago, but Ginny had been reluctant to leave the kitchen in case there was some word from the group.

"Sirius, mate, you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Harry said as his eyes followed the progress of his godfather.

"I can't take this. It's taking too long, why is it taking so long?" Sirius muttered, eyeing the clock over the fireplace as it struck half past one.

"They're not back yet?"

The men turned to see Ginny standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"No," Sirius said shortly, resuming his pacing.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ginny cried, throwing her hands up in the air, unable to take much more. "Why aren't they back? This is taking longer than it should! Something's happened, I know it has!"

Harry jumped up from the table and hurried over to comfort his distraught wife. She allowed him to steer her to the table and sat down on the chair he pulled out for her.

"It's going to be okay, Ginny. Kingsley wouldn't let anything happen to them, you know that," Harry said in a low voice, rubbing Ginny's back soothingly.

"Then why aren't they back?" Ginny asked tearfully.

"They'll be here soon, I know it," Harry tried to say confidently.

"We should have never let Hermione go on this mission! She wasn't ready for it! She hasn't been right lately as it is, and it's so close to the anniversary and you and I both know that her mind's been on that for the past month!" Ginny cried, wiping at the tears running down her face.

Harry pulled her close and held her while she cried, talking to her quietly to calm her down.

Sirius was about ready for a breakdown as well. He had half a mind to charge off to find them if they didn't come back soon. The waiting was starting to fry his nerves. Tiring of the pacing, he threw himself into one of the chairs at the table and commenced to drumming his fingers on the tabletop as he stared into the fire.

As the clock was striking two, several loud pops followed by many thumps and muffled voices announced the arrival of people upstairs.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Ginny cried as the three raced up the basement steps.

They burst through the door to see Remus supporting a very white Hermione as Tonks tried to keep her talking. Hermione's head kept drooping, her eyes rolling in their sockets.

"Bloody hell! What's happened?" Harry exclaimed, hurrying forward.

Sirius relieved Remus of Hermione by scooping her up into his arms.

"Ginny, where to take her?" he asked.

"Her room, I'll be up with supplies in a minute!" she called over her shoulder as she hurried back down to the basement.

Remus mended his broken nose and cleaned up his face as Sirius took the stairs two at a time with Hermione cradled in his arms. Then he turned to Tonks, whose face was quite ashen as well.

"Remus, I think it's dislocated," she whimpered as she tried to move her arm.

Harry watched as Remus gently probed her shoulder.

"Yeah, it's dislocated. I can't fix it by magic though. This is going to hurt," he said as he took hold of her shoulder.

Tonks braced her feet and gritted her teeth as Remus moved it back into place.

"I'm sorry, love," Remus apologized as he moved the bone back into its socket.

Ginny rushed back up the steps with a first aid kit and hurried upstairs to help Sirius. The other three followed close behind.

Sirius laid Hermione down on her bed carefully as he tried to talk to her.

"What happened, Hermione?" he asked as he gently moved her into a comfortable position.

"Bellatrix," she said faintly, her eyelids fluttering.

Sirius cursed under his breath. "Stay awake, Hermione, come on."

The gash on her thigh was deep and long. He fidgeted with his wand, wondering if he should try to clean it up before Ginny got back with the first aid supplies.

Ginny appeared then with the kit and pushed him out of the way so she could get to work. He hung back with the others as Ginny carefully peeled away Hermione's bloodied jeans so she could clean the wound properly.

"Hermione, don't go to sleep, please don't, you've lost so much blood," Ginny pleaded as she used her wand to siphon away the blood around the gash.

Tonks moved around to the other side of the bed to sit with Hermione to keep her talking.

"You did brilliantly out there, Hermione," Tonks praised, holding her hand and squeezing it.

"Damn Bellatrix," Hermione muttered quietly.

"What happened, Moony?" Sirius asked quietly as he watched Ginny dab some kind of liquid on the gash.

"We were ambushed. We found one of the main camps and spread out to find the other two that Kingsley said were up there. We got past the main camp and got attacked. Didn't see it coming, it was so dark and it was snowing," Remus said darkly, shaking his head.

"You're soaking," Sirius observed as Remus flung melted snow from his head.

"I think I'll go shower. Let me know how she is," he said as he retreated from the room.

Ginny apologized over and over again while Hermione cried in pain as the liquid Ginny was using to clean her wound stung and burned. Tonks was murmuring soothing words and squeezing her hand to try to distract her, but it wasn't working too well. Sirius felt his stomach clench as he watched Hermione cry in agony. He wished there was something he could do.

Ginny cleaned it up the best she could, then pulled out her wand. She cast a healing charm with a shaking hand and watched as the skin stitched itself back together, though the skin was raw and red from the trauma to it.

She pulled out a bottle from the kit and tipped some of the bright turquoise liquid into a cup. She helped Tonks get Hermione into a sitting position so she could drink it. Hermione coughed as the liquid went down, burning her esophagus.

"Blood Replenishing Potion," Ginny said in response to Sirius's raised eyebrow. "She's lost way more than she should have. Someone needs to sit with her tonight to make sure she's all right."

"I'll do it," he said without hesitation.

Ginny nodded and helped Tonks slide Hermione back down onto her pillows. She gave the two women a grateful smile as they settled her down carefully, the Blood Replenishing Potion already helping to make her wooziness go away.

"Thank you, Ginny. You're the greatest," she said softly.

Ginny gave her a trembling smile and kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep, won't you?"

She nodded, then looked at Tonks. "And thanks to you too. You saved me out there."

Tonks waved a hand. "Nah, it was nothing. We wouldn't have left you."

Hermione smiled as they left the room.

Sirius pulled Hermione's armchair over to the side of the bed. "You gave us all quite a scare."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "It wouldn't have happened if I didn't let Belltrix curse me."

"Don't beat yourself up. You got away, didn't you?" he reminded her.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know what came over me. One minute I was fighting Yaxley, then the backup arrived and I was going to help Tonks battle the two she was with, but Bellatrix was there. I was so angry. . ." she trailed off, remembering her rage.

Sirius gave her a small smile, knowing why she was so filled with rage. She didn't know that he knew about Ron, and he wasn't going to divulge that to her now. He patted her on the hand gently.

"Just get some sleep. You'll feel much better."

She nodded and snuggled down under her covers, breathing a heavy sigh of relief that she was safe and sound at home once more.


	7. Surfacing

**Disclaimer:** Hey, if anyone can manage it, Sirius Black as a birthday present would really make me happy. . .

**A.N.** The last chapter was probably the longest chapter I have ever written for any story, and it felt pretty amazing. I doubt I can pull it off this chapter, but I guess we'll see. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed so far. It means a lot to me.

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**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Seven: **Surfacing

Sirius sat in Hermione's armchair, his feet kicked up on her night stand. He was trying his hardest to concentrate on the book in his hands, but found himself staring at the same page for several minutes at a time. Every few seconds, he glanced at the sleeping witch laying in the bed next to him and gave a fervent prayer of thanks that she wasn't hurt more seriously.

With a growl of annoyance, he shut his book and laid it on the floor next to the chair. The book wasn't serving its purpose of distraction like he'd hoped it would. His thoughts weren't focused on it in the least.

He leaned his head against the cozy back of the chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his face tiredly. It had been a long, stressful evening. He had been so worried when the group left with Kingsley in the lead. His best friend and his cousin were out there with those maniacs, as was Hermione. After learning of Ron's death and the effect it had on Hermione, he was just as worried about her as he was Remus and Tonks. And after Ginny said that the four year anniversary of his death was approaching, Sirius's worry increased tenfold.

Of course, it didn't do him any good to find the three come back all bloody and bruised, with Hermione nearly passed out in Remus's arms. He swore in that moment his heart had ceased beating, and the way his stomach plummeted was almost as awful as the night James and Lily were murdered. Then his brain kicked into overdrive and there was only one thing he concentrated on: keeping Hermione alive.

He turned his head slightly so he could look at her as she lay sleeping under her covers. He took several long moments to study her face. He remembered her as she was before he fell through the Veil, so full of knowledge and a fierce sense of pride and determination. She was his godson's best friend and she was sticking with him until the end.

Fast forward ten years, and the Hermione he remembered no longer existed. Sure, she was still full of that fierce pride and determination, but she was no longer trying to shove her vast pool of knowledge down everyone's throats. She wasn't so innocent anymore. She had seen the real world and the horrors of war. She had suffered greatly. She had lost the love of her life.

Sirius felt a surge of his own sadness consume him. He had always been grateful to Ron for being there for Harry. He had always been the sort of comical relief that the trio needed in that last year Sirius had been around before disappearing behind the Veil. Ron had always tried to keep things lighthearted, even if he was a bit slow on the uptake every now and then.

He smiled as he watched Hermione shift around in her sleep, muttering something incoherent as she twisted to her side. He realized what was so different about her now: her face lost most of the tension and anguish that it held during the day. She was at peace while she slept, the agonies of her waking world dissipating.

He watched as she shifted again, still muttering as she slept. Her brow creased in agitation, her mouth falling into a tight line. Sirius wondered what she was dreaming about. He hoped she wasn't having a nightmare.

There was something about her, that much was true. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but whenever she was near or in the same room at the very least, he felt content and happy, the fondness he felt for her growing more and more every time he was around her. He could only chalk it up to the same fatherly feelings he had for Harry. It was protectiveness, straight to the core. It had to be.

"No," Hermione muttered audibly.

Sirius jerked his attention back to her again, aware of how he was thinking of her in that moment. He frowned, seeing her smooth face now contorted into anguish. Her hands flexed and her feet jerked, as though she was running from something.

"No, no! Not him, please! Not him! Take me! Take me instead! TAKE MEEEEEEEE!!" she suddenly screamed, jerking upright in her bed, tears streaming down her face as she began sobbing.

Instantly, he was out of the chair and sitting next to her on the bed, his arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her close to his chest as she sobbed. Sirius's heart clenched painfully as Hermione cried her pain out, somehow knowing it was the first time she had done so in a very long time.

Hermione became aware of what was going on after a long while. Everything from the evening came flooding back to her and she realized that the night's horrors had caused her nightmare. It was always the same, more or less. Always Bellatrix, always after her and Ron. This one was the worst yet, though. Perhaps it was because this was the first time she'd come face to face with the evil bitch who had killed her fiancé since he had died. It had been nearly four years. Four long, painful years.

Then she became aware of the pair of arms holding her close, rubbing her back soothingly as she cried. Her face was tucked into his chest, and as she took a great, shuddering breath, she inhaled a woody, musky smell. His scent. It was comforting, though she had not been this close to a man in so very long.

She calmed herself enough to lean back away from the strong, solid chest she'd been crying on, brushing her sweaty, tear soaked hair away from her face. She looked up into the worried face of Sirius Black.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a quiet voice.

She could feel his chest rumble with his voice. "I-I don't know. I had a nightmare."

He smoothed a wet strand of hair away from her face without thinking, his slightly rough hand cool against her burning face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hermione felt the sadness and grief well up in her chest and her eyes brimmed with tears again. His obvious concern and kindness flooded her heart, making it seize up painfully.

"It. . .it was. . .it was Bellatrix," she gasped out before the tears slipped out again and she was sobbing once more.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest again as she gave into sobbing. It was gut-wrenching to hear her miserable cries, though he couldn't help but think that she was finally giving in to her overwhelming grief and sorrow. It crossed his mind that this mission might have been a good idea after all; she had seen Bella and remembered the horrors she had inflicted against her. Hermione had been trying so hard to block out the past that when she was finally put face to face with her sworn enemy, the reality of what had happened came roaring back, forcing her to cope with feelings she had been trying to suppress for so very long.

After what seemed like hours, Hermione finally calmed herself down again. She hadn't cried like that in a long time; moreover, she hadn't allowed herself to cry for _him_. It had been nearly four years since he died, and this was the first time she could remember ever crying for her loss.

"How do you feel?" Sirius asked after a few peaceful moments.

She thought for a moment. Her heart felt a lot lighter than it had felt for awhile. The near-constant weight that made her shoulders sag felt as though it had lifted. Her mind felt more clear and less troubled than it had been.

"Better," she admitted in a soggy voice.

They sat quietly for a long time, Hermione leaned up against Sirius's body, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders and his hand lightly caressing her upper arm. She was slowly building up the courage to talk about it for the first time since it happened. It felt right to talk about what happened with Sirius. She felt that he was understand and listen to her without interrupting.

Sirius knew what was coming. He could almost sense it quite clearly. Now he had to decide whether he would play dumb or acknowledge that Remus had told him everything.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"I want to talk. Will you listen to me?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

She took a deep breath and took the leap over the side. There was no going back now.

"You've noticed that Ron hasn't been around at all since you've been back, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have."

"Have you wondered where he's been?"

"I have. I asked Remus about him the other day."

Hermione's stomach clenched. "You did?"

"I did."

Hermione was brought up short. She'd been planning on just laying it all out there for Sirius, but now he was telling her he knew everything?

"Talk to me about what happened, Hermione," Sirius urged softly, giving her a gentle squeeze around the shoulders.

She took a steadying breath. "Ron and I were engaged nearly four years ago. We'd been together for so long, it just seemed right. We were both at the Ministry with Harry and saw each other nearly everyday. Besides the Ministry, Ron was living with Harry here at Grimmauld Place, then with Ginny as well when she and Harry got married. Despite how bad things were on the outside, I had never been happier. Ron and I had been together since what would have been our seventh year. I guess that would make it about three years."

Sirius nodded. "Go on."

"We were engaged for a week. I was already starting to make plans with my mother and Molly for the wedding. Ron just laughed at me, saying our September wedding would soon become a May wedding with all the planning I was doing. Then Dumbledore came to us with an important mission."

"You were looking for the Death Eaters responsible for killing Mad Eye," Sirius stated.

She nodded. "It was me, Harry, Ron, Kingsley, Remus, Tonks, and most of the others. We had the information, all we had to do was go in there and get them. Ginny stayed here at number twelve because she was pregnant with Sophie at the time. So we stormed the camp."

"And you fought."

"And we fought. It had been the most fierce fighting I had seen in a few years. I thought I was handling it pretty well. But then Bellatrix decided she'd like to try me," Hermione said softly, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the bedspread in front of her, watching the scene play out all over again.

"She's a handful," Sirius admitted, watching her face closely.

"She was. I thought I was doing okay. But then I slipped up and missed blocking a jinx. Quite below her standards, the Jelly Legs."

Sirius shook his head, the painful images forming in his mind's eye as well.

"There was nothing I could do," Hermione whispered, her hands balling into fists as she watched it all unfold again. "I just wanted it to be quick and painless. I accepted that I was about to die at the hands of a Death Eater. I was ready, I knew that my number was up. But then Ron. . .Ron jumped in as Bella was raising her wand. . ." her voice shook, then died.

Sirius gave her another gentle squeeze around the shoulders to comfort her.

"I was ready to go! I didn't want anyone to play the heroics! I didn't want anyone to save me at the cost of their own life! Especially not Ron! We were supposed to get married and spend the rest of our lives together! What was I supposed to do without him? We weren't supposed to exist without each other," she said fiercely, feeling the intense burning of anger well up inside.

'She's finally grieving properly,' Sirius thought grimly as he braced himself for the anger that was ready to burst out of her.

"We should have died together. I didn't expect him to live without me, and now I have to live without him. I was so close, Sirius! So close to finally getting the one wish I had held onto for so long! I wanted a family more than anything! And I was within five months of it! I was so close. . ." she trailed off furiously, feeling the rage lick at her insides as she wondered why she was feeling so angry.

"But you do have a family, Hermione," Sirius reminded her gently. "You've got Harry and Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys, and now me. We're all your family, not to mention your mum and dad."

"I wanted one of my own!" she snapped. "I wanted my own husband, my own children! I wanted to be a mum! I wanted to be the best mum alive! I could have been! But Ron's gone now! And I'm all alone!"

A few angry tears slipped from her eyes.

Sirius pulled her closer. With an furious sniffle, she rested her head against his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath her cheek and finding it soothing to her temper.

"Listen to me, Hermione," Sirius said in a voice barely higher than a whisper, "you're not alone, do you hear me? You'll never be alone. All of us love you too much to allow you to ever be alone, do you understand that? I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to let yourself let go of the past. I respect that you and Ron were very much in love with each other. You can always love him and keep him in your heart. But you've got to move on. You have so much life left to live! You're twenty five years old! You can still have a family! You can still be a mum! You'll find another special someone to spend the rest of your life with, okay? But you've got to let yourself move on and let go of the past. Then you can start to live again."

Hermione nodded against his shirt. As much as hurt to think of letting go, she knew Sirius was right. She had to let go of the past. Seeing Bellatrix earlier had awoken all the feelings she had been trying to suppress. She knew that she couldn't keep these feelings bottled up inside forever. Now that she had finally allowed herself to cry over Ron, she felt so much better and felt as though the weight of the world had finally lifted from her shoulders. It was only the first step, but she could do it. She had to let everyone back on the inside instead of pushing them away like she had been for the past four years.

"I'll try, Sirius. I'll really try," she said softly.

He smiled as he tilted his head down to place a gently kiss on her forehead. "Good."

They were quiet for a few minutes, letting everything sink in.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

He looked down at her, surprised at her question. "Why am I being so nice? Because I care about you very much, Hermione. It hurts to see you just ghosting through life without a purpose anymore. I've been there, remember? I don't want you to suffer like I did."

"Thank you, Sirius," she whispered, feeling her eyes drift shut.

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep," he whispered back, settling himself back against a pillow as Hermione curled closer to the warmth of his body and fell asleep, her head still resting on his chest.

* * *

Ginny stirred under the heavy quilt of the bed. Very slowly, she awoke from a deep slumber, her mind fuzzy. She stretched a bit, feeling the weight of Harry's arm draped across her middle. She gave a tiny sigh of happiness, much as she did every morning when she awoke to the feeling of Harry's arm draped across her. She felt very much alive and loved.

Then the reality of what happened last night sunk into place. With a gasp, Ginny sat up, her hand to her head and her heart racing. Hermione had been hurt badly last night. She had to patch up her best friend the best she could. Then she had left her under the watch of Sirius.

Cursing herself, Ginny slid from the covers, careful not to disturb Harry, who still had a few more minutes before he had to get up for work. Without bothering to grab her robe, she slipped her feet into her slippers and carefully opened the door so it wouldn't squeak. She slipped from their room and padded softly down the hall, careful not to disturb Sophie, who was bound to wake up soon as it was. She passed the two spare rooms, one of which was currently occupied by Remus and Tonks, whom she had insisted stay the night after what they had been through.

Hermione's door was shut, just as it had been when Ginny left her to get some sleep. Quietly, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. It took her a few moments to digest what she was seeing. Then she was finally able to comprehend.

Hermione was curled up under the covers, her head resting on Sirius's chest. He himself was lying on top of the covers, his arms wrapped around Hermione, holding her close to his warmth. The two were still sound asleep.

Ginny crept a little closer to get a good look at the two, feeling her heart suddenly lift. Hermione looked so very much at peace while she slept. A small smile graced her lips. Seeing that made Ginny's eyes well up. It had been an eternity since she had seen a smile on Hermione's face. Ginny thought that Hermione looked happy for the first time in what had been four very long years.

Sirius looked at peace as well. Ginny could detect a faint trace of stubborn protectiveness about his face; perhaps it was the way his chin lightly rested atop Hermione's head and the way his arms were wrapped around her, drawing her closer to him, as though he would keep her from harm.

Ginny felt a smile of her own form. She backed from the room slowly, shutting the door as she went. She was in no hurry to wake the two up. Not when she had the nagging suspicion that Sirius had finally broken through the shell that Hermione had stubbornly kept up for so long.

When she returned to their room, she found Harry sitting up on his side of the bed, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. He smiled sleepily at her when she entered the room.

"G'morning, love. Where'd you go?" he asked tiredly, leaning up to kiss her when she came around to sit next to him, pulling her robe on as she went.

"I went to go check on Hermione. Sorry if I woke you up," she apologized, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He brought his arm up to pat her cheek affectionately. "No worries. How's she doing?"

Ginny smiled. "She's sleeping. I don't plan on waking her, either. She needs a day to recover from last night."

Harry smiled as well. "Good idea. I think Cornwell can do without her for one day. He's got other lackeys to do his every bidding."

Ginny lifted her head as she heard light, shuffling steps approaching from the down the hall. "Sophie's awake. I better go feed her something."

She leaned down to kiss Harry one more time before heading to the door to meet Sophie.

"I'll be down in a few," Harry called softly to her as she went.

Ginny scooped Sophie up as she came out the door. "Good morning, baby. How did you sleep?"

Sophie rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Okay. I heard loud noises though. They woke me up."

Ginny smoothed the tangled curls away from her little girl's face. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"What was it?"

Ginny considered what to say for a minute. "It was Auntie 'Mione coming back with Uncle Remus and Tonks from their meeting with Kingsley."

Sophie nodded. "Oh, okay. I'm hungry, Mummy."

Ginny laughed and ruffled her hair. "Let's go get some food, then."

She carried Sophie down to the kitchen, careful once more not to disturb any of the house's other occupants. She was sure Tonks would be up soon anyway. As her injuries weren't as bad, she'd be heading off to the Ministry with Harry.

Ginny bustled around the kitchen, lighting the fire to warm the chilled basement and getting bread out for toast. In between toastings, she poured Sophie a small bowl of her favorite cereal and set a piece of toast down on the tray of her high chair.

"Thanks, Mummy," Sophie chirped as she picked up her spoon to eat her cereal.

"Not a problem, baby," she said as she moved between the skillet on the stove where she was cooking bacon to the toaster to pull out the toast and place it on the growing stack on the counter.

Harry came down shortly after, greeting Sophie with a kiss on the forehead, to which she gave a squeal of delight. He gave Ginny a kiss on the forehead and settled in his usual spot, where Ginny had the daily _Prophet_ waiting for his perusal. Soon after, she set a plate of toast and bacon in front of him, to which he smiled his thanks.

Ginny took the opportunity to steal upstairs to get dressed while Harry was with Sophie. She hoped to run into Tonks before she came downstairs. She wanted her opinion on the situation in Hermione's room.

Sure enough, she ran into Tonks as she was emerging from the bathroom, her hair spiky and pink and her arm restored to full usage.

"Come here, you have to see this," Ginny whispered, grabbing Tonks' arm and leading her to the door of Hermione's room.

"What?"

"Just have a look," Ginny urged, cracking the door open and pushing Tonks closer.

"Oh, my. . ." Tonks whispered, her eyes widening in shock.

Ginny smiled. "Exactly. What do you think?"

Tonks withdrew and closed the door quietly. She had a grin on her face. "I think it's brilliant. She looks so happy for the first time since he died."

Ginny nodded eagerly. "I thought so too. I think Sirius might have finally snapped her out of it."

Tonks breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin."

Ginny, having dressed, joined Tonks in returning down to the kitchen. Remus had gotten up as well and was sitting playing with Sophie as Harry stuffed down the last of his bacon. He smiled up at Tonks as they came down the stairs.

"Almost ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure, just let me get some of this toast and bacon down," she answered as she snatched a piece of toast and a few pieces of bacon for herself and poured a glass of juice to wash it all down with.

"How's Hermione this morning, Ginny?" Remus asked as he played patty cake with Sophie.

"She looks pretty good. She's still sleeping," Ginny answered, helping herself to a piece of bacon.

"Sirius isn't up yet? I find that odd," Harry said, looking around and not seeing his godfather.

Ginny and Tonks exchanged knowing looks, which completely escaped the men's attention.

"Well, he did volunteer to stay up and keep a watch over Hermione," Tonks said, trying to keep a straight face.

Harry nodded understandingly. "Yeah, he probably decided he'd hit the sack for a few hours."

Ginny had to look away from Tonks to keep from bursting out laughing.

Tonks stood up, downing the last of her juice, momentarily distracting Harry from Ginny's peculiar behavior. "I'm ready, are you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's go, then. See you later, Gin. Bye, Sophie!" he called as he followed Tonks up the steps.

Remus waited until he heard the door shut upstairs before turning to Ginny. "All right, what is it?"

Ginny gave a tiny giggle. "Am I really that transparent?"

Remus gave her a look. "Ginny, I've known you for how long now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Come on, you've got to see this."

She picked Sophie up from her chair and carried her upstairs, Remus following behind. Ginny let her little girl down to toddle off to her room while she beckoned Remus over to Hermione's door.

"Have a look," she whispered, backing up so he could peer inside.

Remus let out a breath. "I had a feeling this was what you two were on about."

"Isn't it great?" she sighed.

"I just hope that Sirius knows what he's getting into," Remus said heavily.

"But she looks happy, Remus! She looks happy for the first time in a long time. I think Sirius finally got her to see the light."

"Even if he did get her to see the light, which I truly hope he has, as he's the only one who knows, really, what it's like to live a life of nonexistence, Hermione still has a lot of demons to battle. If something does come from this, Sirius is going to have to be dedicated from the start to help her get past those demons," Remus reasoned.

"Well, if something does come from this, which I really hope happens, Sirius had better be dedicated from the beginning. He'll have to get over his playboy lifestyle quick, because Hermione doesn't need to put up with that, nor does she need the heartache from it," Ginny said stoutly.

"Ginny, you don't know him as I know him. Sirius can be very passionate about the things or people he cares about. If he does get together with Hermione, you can bet that he'll be there until the end."

Ginny grinned. "Sounds like you've already made your mind up about them, then."

He shrugged. "It would appear I have. Now, let's just hope that fate has something good in store for them."

* * *

Hermione awoke so very slowly from her deep slumber, wanting very much to just drop back off to sleep. She was incredibly comfortable and warm beneath her blankets. She couldn't remember feeling this content and comfortable in awhile.

She inhaled deeply as she flexed her feet and stretched her legs out, feeling a slight pain in her upper left thigh as she did so. She took in a familiar woody, musky scent as she breathed. Was this why she was so comfortable? Was that a heart she heard beating a different thrum than her own?

She cracked an eyelid open, only to find herself staring at a black cotton shirt that was clearly not her own. She tilted her head up to see Sirius's stubbly chin resting atop her head. Hermione looked down to find her arm draped lightly across his chest, holding her closer to his warm body.

She felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought of their position. What if Harry came in to check on her? What if one of the others came in? What would they say? What would they think?

Never mind what they thought. . .what did she think? What _was _she thinking? This was Sirius Black, dammit! Harry's godfather! And she was sleeping with him, in her own bed? She wasn't that girl!

She tucked her face into his shirt and gave a low groan. The events of last night came trickling back to her recollection slowly. She remembered finally cracking and spilling everything about Ron to him in the very early hours of this morning. She finally allowed herself to cry. Hell, she could still feel the dried tears on her face and her eyelids felt puffy and heavy.

But it was Sirius's understanding that had her completely floored. He cared. He cared very much, and told her that. She was incredibly surprised that he was the one person that she finally opened up to. Maybe he was right, maybe it was because she knew that he had gone through a similar situation. He hadn't lived like life was meant to be lived in a long time. He knew what it did to a person.

Sirius stirred in his sleep, mumbling something she didn't quite catch and shifting his arm that was wrapped around her back, pulling her closer. For a moment, she panicked. She didn't want to be caught in this situation. The ache of Ron and her loss was still an ever-present hole in her broken heart.

Then she gave a roll of her eyes. Sirius was right, she could miss him every day for the rest of her life, but it still didn't change the fact that she had to move on. She could keep him close to her heart forever, but she still had a lot of life to live. And she was going to do just that.

With a sigh, she tucked her head closer to Sirius's chest and let her eyes drift shut again. She readjusted her arm across his chest, allowing herself to scoot closer to his warm body. It had been a long time since she had been this close to a man, and dammit, she was going to enjoy it, no matter what she or the others thought.


	8. Feelings Not So Wrong?

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, but not without lack of trying.

**A.N.** I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, everyone. I had an enormous writer's block that just didn't want to go away. And then there was the end of my school year. And graduation. And all that good stuff. But here's an update for you! Hope you enjoy!

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**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Eight: **Feelings Not So Wrong?

Sirius sat in the library, deep in thought. It had been almost a month since Hermione had been hurt, and he had barely seen her since. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. She'd been avoiding him, that much he had deduced. Her avoidance had him completely and totally puzzled. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to offend her. All he wanted to do was help; at the time, that's what seemed right.

Perhaps he'd struck a nerve that she was too tired to deal with, and now she was avoiding him because of that?

He gave an impatient noise of disbelief and shook his head. Hermione wasn't like that. She didn't hold grudges like a silly child.

Or did she? Had she really changed that much in the time he'd been behind the Veil?

He sighed. There was no way that the Hermione he knew now would digress into kiddie antics. The loss of Ron had aged her far too much for such a thing to happen.

So what was it? Why was she avoiding him like he had the Plague?

He absentmindedly beat his head into the high back of the armchair by the fireplace, hoping the jarring movements would rattle something sensible into his confused brain. There had to be a reason for Hermione's behavior, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

He thought back to the night that she had been hurt. He didn't remember too much of what happened in the beginning; all that had consumed him was making sure Hermione would be okay. Act first, think later. That was usually how he operated under pressure.

Then of course, there was the talk they'd had. He had hoped that he would gain a little insight into the workings of her grief and pain, and then could help her get past all of it. He figured he'd done a pretty bang up job; after all, it wasn't like someone who had no experience with pain could tell a person suffering greatly that they just had to get over it, no questions asked. Hermione probably would have throttled any person other than Sirius.

Sirius couldn't help but give a smug little grin at his success. At least, he thought it was success. But with Hermione avoiding him like she was, he couldn't help but second guess himself.

He gave a growl of irritation. Maybe he should just force her to talk to him. Then he could find out what was really bugging her. Sirius didn't take kindly to being avoided. His ego didn't take such hits very lightly.

He jerked out of his thoughts when he heard approaching footsteps outside the library doors. He smiled at Ginny when she stuck her head in the door.

"What are you up to, Sirius?"

"Pondering life," he answered sarcastically.

She smirked and shook her head. "Well, if you feel like eating with the rest of civilization, dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. I'm just going to take Sophie upstairs to clean her up before Harry and Hermione get home."

"Yeah, I'll be down," he assured her.

Then it hit him. How could he be so stupid? He could ask Ginny if she knew what was wrong with Hermione!

"Brilliant idea, old Padfoot," he muttered to himself, hoisting himself out of the chair to follow Ginny upstairs.

* * *

Hermione sat in her usual position at her desk, feet kicked up and crossed at the ankle. She absentmindedly sucked at the quill in her mouth as she gazed off into space. She was supposed to finish the report in front of her for the Minister, but, truth be told, she had been having trouble focusing on much of anything lately.

Her life had returned to normal, for the most part after being attacked while on the raid. True, Reese had been very surprised that she had missed a day of work, but as he wasn't supposed to know that she was running around on top secret raids, Hermione just chalked it up to being overworked and an extreme case of exhaustion. She was pretty sure he swallowed that one up, as she had been working almost nonstop on finishing up Sirius's file with the Department.

Sirius.

Without realizing it, her lips curved up in a small smile as a perfect mental image of his face formed in her head.

"What are you grinning at?"

She nearly toppled out of her chair as she straightened up, planting her feet firmly on the ground, all traces of her smile completely vanished. She glared up at the amused face of Adam Reese, silently cursing him for scaring her silly.

"Nothing," she snapped, dipping her quill into the pot of ink by her elbow.

"Didn't look like nothing," he teased, settling himself at his own desk.

"You really want to know what I was grinning at, Reese?" she challenged.

He looked mildly surprised that she would consider telling him. "Sure, if you want to tell me."

She leaned forward over her desk and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I was imagining your perfect death. And if you don't shut the hell up and leave me alone, believe me, I think I'd rather tangle with Voldy Pants if I were you."

She sat back, satisfied as his face twisted into a sour look.

"Someone needs more than just a day off for overwork and exhaustion," he muttered.

"If you want to pick up my slack, then I'll gladly take a month off, Reese," Hermione declared loudly, causing him to jump and give her a dirty look as she packed away her things to leave for the day.

Hermione suppressed her grin as she climbed the stairs up to the revolving room. She had gotten Reese yet again. When was that bastard ever going to learn that he couldn't get the best of her?

As she rode the lifts up to the Atrium, she turned her thoughts back to Sirius. She frowned at the little jump in her stomach as she thought of his face again. That definitely was not supposed to happen. Of course, he was immeasurably sweet for staying with her through the night after she'd been hurt on the raid, and he listened to her sob her eyes out after telling her story of the night Ron died, but really, there was no reason for her stomach to get all funny when she thought about him.

Truth be told, it was very hard not to like Sirius. The bad boy aura that surrounded him was what kept most of the wizarding world afraid of him. She gave a small shake of her head at that thought and tried to suppress her grin. If only they knew what a lie that whole bad boy act was. Sirius was a regular softy. He was quite content to play up his hardass persona though. Hermione had the distinct feeling that Sirius would be completely mortified if the rest of the world knew how soft he really was.

And then there was his physical appearance. He dressed to fit the bad boy image. Hermione wasn't complaining though. She allowed herself to roll her eyes at herself at that thought. There was something seriously wrong with her. This was Sirius Black she was thinking about. . .Harry Potter's godfather! Her best friend's substitute father! What the hell was she thinking?

But who couldn't help but feel the slightest bit attracted to Sirius when he dressed the way he did? Honestly, he was just asking for attention when he wore those fitted black pants and the button down shirts with most of the upper buttons undone, leaving his numerous tattoos exposed for the wandering eye to take in. Of course, there were the black dragon hide boots as well, and the loosely fitted robes, always thrown open. And his unruly dark hair, always falling into his dark eyes allowed him to pull off a haughty, brooding attitude.

Hermione mentally slapped herself. It was practically illegal for her to be thinking of her best friend's godfather this way, dammit! Sirius was old enough to be her own father. And here she was practically undressing him in her mind's eye. What was wrong with her?

A lot, she concluded. Perhaps that was why she'd been avoiding him ever since she came back to work. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted at the moment, what with her work load and the Order meetings and the next impending raid, she had a lot on her plate to deal with. She had no room for naughty thoughts of any man at all.

She arched an eyebrow as she thought of how "naughty" her thoughts had been. When did she start allowing herself dirty thoughts of a man again? How did that happen?

She groaned to herself as she walked along the busy streets of London, looking for a quiet alley to Apparate from. She knew exactly when she had started having thoughts of an impure nature. This all dated back to the days after she'd been hurt. After she'd spent the night in Sirius's arms. After she'd poured her soul out to him. After she'd soaked his shirt with her tears. And then fallen asleep on his chest.

She leaned against the brick of the building on one side of the alley she'd found. She could just kick herself for ever allowing that night to happen. Why did she have to go and get hurt? Why did Bellatrix have to show up and be all vengeful like she was? Dammit, it was all her fault!

Hermione beat her head back against the brick to try to knock some sense into herself. It wasn't Bellatrix's fault. She knew that. She was looking for someone to blame other than herself. She was not allowed to feel attracted to Sirius. At all. It was wrong on all levels, any way she looked at it.

But those dark eyes saw everything that she was trying to hide. . .and he understood what she was going through. . .

"No!" she muttered to herself. She had to stop thinking like this.

And she'd felt so safe in his arms after spilling her soul to him. And he smelled so good. . .

She gave a growl of frustration and settled for Apparating back to Grimmauld Place, where she would spend the rest of the evening avoiding Sirius like he had the Plague.

* * *

"Ginny, what do you think is going on with Hermione?"

Sirius leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, staring a hole through Ginny's back as she gave Sophie a quick bath before dinner.

Ginny smiled to herself as she picked up the bottle of shampoo and poured some into her hand before starting to massage it into Sophie scalp.

"What do you mean, Sirius?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. Was she serious? Did she not notice that Hermione had been giving him the cold shoulder for the past month?

"Have you not noticed that she's been avoiding me?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Ginny thought for a minute as she tried to keep Sophie still long enough to rinse the shampoo out of her hair.

Sirius watched her struggle with the little imp for a few minutes. He was impatient, his foot was tapping against the floor, and dammit, he wanted another female's opinion on this!

"Yeah, I've noticed, Sirius," she answered finally, now scrubbing up a washcloth with soap and washing Sophie down.

"Why do you think she's avoiding me?"

Ginny couldn't help it; the tone of his voice was suddenly dejected, and she had to see the look on his face. She turned around to see him leaning against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, his lower lip pushed out in what appeared to be a pout. She fought to control the snicker that was longing to come out.

"She _has _been busy, Sirius," Ginny reminded gently.

"Yeah, but she's been home for dinner every night! And she's home for the rest of the evening! If she's in the library and I walk in, she makes an excuse to leave the room! She doesn't talk at meals! She's gone before you can even give her a good morning. That can't be normal female behavior!" he fumed.

Ginny rinsed Sophie off one last time before lifting the giggling little girl out of the tub. She was surprised this was bothering Sirius as much as it was. She figured all Hermione had was a minor school girl crush on the man and didn't know how to deal with it; it appeared that Sirius was harboring a minor thing for the bookworm as well.

"Do I detect some annoyance on your behalf, Sirius?"

He actually growled. "Maybe."

Ginny wrapped Sophie up in her towel and carried her past Sirius and down the hall to her room. Sirius was hot on her heels and took up leaning against Sophie's doorframe instead.

"What's eating at you so much, then?" she asked, playing dumb as she pulled a shirt over her little girl's head.

He hesitated this time. How exactly to phrase this so that it didn't come out wrong?

Ginny noticed and decided to spare him the embarrassment. "Sirius, I know what happened the night she got hurt. I know you stayed with her all night. Me and Tonks saw you too in the morning."

Sirius looked up from the floor, surprised. "You know?"

"I know."

"Does Harry know?" he blurted out without thinking.

Ginny shook her head, a small smile on her face. "No, he doesn't."

Sirius visibly relaxed. "Good."

Ginny sat cross-legged on the floor, allowing Sophie to scamper out of her grasp, fully dressed and intent on playing with her toys.

"What's bothering you, Sirius?" she asked persistently.

"I don't know what I did to make her avoid me like this," he said slowly, his brows still furrowed as he thought about the bookish brunette.

"And it hurts," Ginny offered, watching the older man's face.

"Yeah, it does," he said with a sigh. "But I don't understand why it should hurt."

"I think you know why, Sirius," Ginny declared.

He looked up at the redhead. She was watching him very closely. He detected a faint hint of smugness in her features. Her brown eyes were blazing with determination to get him to see what he was missing.

He thought about how he had felt that night. When she came home bleeding and hurt. How he had felt when he saw her pale and nearly lifeless in Remus's arms. And then when he had her in his own arms, carrying her up to her room. How his heart had clenched painfully as he laid her down on her bed, seeing her face clench in pain.

He thought about the conversation they'd had. How Hermione had felt comfortable enough for the first time in years to talk about the night Ron died. How she'd cried into his chest when the pain of telling the story became too much. How she'd fallen asleep on his chest after exhausting herself. The way she felt in his arms. So warm and soft. . .

Ginny saw the change in his eyes before he became aware of what he was thinking. When his cheeks reddened slightly, she knew he had figured it out.

"It's all right, Sirius, I understand how you feel," she said gently.

He glanced up from the floor to look at her again. He looked slightly horrified. "But she's Harry's best friend."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, so?"

Sirius gulped. "Don't you think that's. . .wrong?"

She shook her head. "You can't help who you fall for."

Sirius glanced around the room, trying to collect his thoughts. There was no way that he could feel like this! This was Hermione that they were talking about! She was much too young for him! And he was broken goods, damaged and not whole. What would she want with an old, broken man?

"But. . .it would never happen! I'm too old for her," Sirius said aloud, as if that would close the conversation.

Ginny gave him a stern look. He wasn't used to how very much she could be like Molly Weasley, and visibly quailed under her gaze.

"Sirius Black, that is the most stupid reason I have ever heard," she growled.

"But, Ginny. . ."

"Nope. Not gonna listen to it. Like I said, you can't help who you fall for. The question is, what are you going to do to make Hermione realize that she feels the same way?"

He looked at her, confused. Then it clicked.

"Wait, you're saying that Hermione's avoiding me because she feels something too?"

Ginny smiled. "I knew you'd get there at some point."

Sirius shook his head and sighed. "Why do you women have to be so goddamn difficult?"

"This is Hermione we're talking about here," she pointed out, feeling a small pang in her heart as she thought about how much pain her friend had been in for so long.

Sirius sobered up for a minute. "Yeah. This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

Ginny offered him an encouraging smile. "But we're talking about you, too. After all, who's Sirius Black without his charm? It might take awhile, but she'll come around. Try talking to her. Start off casual. Don't go too deep. You'll scare her off."

Sirius perked up at the sound of Harry calling for them downstairs. If he was home, that meant that Hermione would be home soon as well. . .

Ginny grinned. "Best go get dinner on the table. I'm sure they're both hungry."

She took Sophie's hand and led her out of the room, leaving Sirius to ponder his next move.

* * *

Hermione sat in her armchair in her room, her feet propped up on the windowsill. Her curtains were drawn back and her window thrown wide open, allowing the cool night breezes of summer to waft through her room. She stared at the moon, willing it to give her some kind of answers to all the questions buzzing around her head.

Once again, her thoughts were consumed by Sirius. She was torn between aggravation, amusement, and guilt. She was aggravated at the man himself; surely, it was his behavior at dinner that had him in her thoughts again. On the other hand, she was slightly amused at herself for allowing the man to captivate her the way he did. Then, of course, was the guilt over her thoughts. Sirius was Harry's godfather, dammit. There was no reason for her to be thinking of him in such a way.

She sighed and slouched further down into her chair. It had been entirely too long since she had felt any kind of nervous energy because of a man. It was a scary feeling. She wasn't sure she was ready to feel like this again. It was exhilarating to feel like she was wanted, but it made her stomach clench with emotion. She'd had it all with Ron and she didn't want to forget that. But maybe she needed to finally let go and move on.

Her plan to avoid Sirius was crashing down around her ears. She was sure Ginny had something to do with this failure; all throughout dinner, she'd worn this smug look, and Hermione was sure she'd seen Sirius tip Ginny a wink.

The only explanation she could come up with was that Sirius had seen through her lame plan to avoid him completely. Instead of sulking about it like he'd done for the past few weeks, he was unusually animated and chatty while they ate. A lot of his conversation was directed at Hermione; he seemed very interested in what Minister Cornwell had her up to these days, not to mention numerous questions about the Department itself.

Hermione had been taken off guard in the beginning, but after seeing the exchange between Ginny and Sirius, she caught on right away. She tried her best to have food in her mouth at all times, but Sirius saw through that one too. So she decided to go with the next best thing: faking a headache to escape upstairs to her room.

Ginny did nothing to help Hermione's mood by scowling after her friend as she fled up the stairs, leaving the Potters and Sirius to the rest of their meal.

Hermione growled at the situation. These things were not supposed to be this complicated. Sirius should not be as damn alluring as he was. She needed to stop acting like a hormonal teenager. And Ginny needed to keep her nose out of Hermione's love life.

She glanced at her alarm clock. It was a little after midnight. With a moan of frustration, she knew she would not get to sleep unless she had a cup of tea to help calm her down. And if she wanted to walk into work without worrying about looking like a zombie, she needed that cup of tea now.

She stole down the hallway and down the stairs, missing the creaky ones and forgoing the use of her wand for some light. She knew the house well enough to find her way in the dark now.

She moved quietly around the kitchen, setting the kettle to boil and grabbing a tea mug and some sugar. She tapped her foot in impatience as she waited for the water to boil. The sooner she got her tea, the faster she could get back upstairs to her room, and the quicker she'd fall asleep.

She grabbed the kettle from the stove the moment it started to whistle and poured the boiling water into her mug. She stirred in some sugar and dumped the rest of the water out of the kettle, rinsing it and drying it before reaching to place it back on the high shelf over the stove.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She about dropped her mug. "Fuck."

Sirius stood near the table, his face looking rather amused. "What was that, Hermione? Did I just hear my bookworm swear?"

Hermione noticed his use of the possessive "my" but chose not to comment on it. "Yes, you did."

Sirius whistled low. "Never thought I'd see the day."

She started around him with her tea. "Yes, well, there's a first for everything."

"Where you going in such a hurry? I fancied a cup of tea myself. Won't you join me?" he asked, watching her try to make another quick escape.

She stopped before she reached the stairs. She quickly tried to compose her face into a look that was less than irritable and turned back to face him.

"I suppose I could do that."

She sat at the table while he readied himself a kettle of water. Neither said anything while he worked. Curiously, she found herself growing less and less annoyed with him as the minutes wore on. Once he had his mug, he sat down at the table across from her.

She idly stirred her tea, avoiding his gaze.

"So what's on your mind tonight that's keeping you from sleep?" he asked after a few more quiet moments.

She shrugged. "Everything and nothing."

Sirius nodded, taking a sip from his mug and watching her face over the rim of it. Such a vague answer meant that she was surely thinking of him. He knew it. Not that he was egotistical or anything like that.

"What's got _you_ up so late?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm a night owl by nature."

Again, it was quiet. Hermione kept stirring her tea, hoping it would cool off faster so she could down it quickly and escape back to her room. She hadn't counted on Sirius being awake. Her midnight cups of tea were meant for her and her only. She took solace in the quiet and darkness of the house. It meant that she didn't have to answer to anyone.

"How has your leg been?" Sirius took another stab at conversation.

"Fine. It only hurt for about a week afterward. No big deal."

She took a big gulp of her tea and wished she hadn't. It was still too hot and it scalded the back of her throat. She noticed Sirius watching her reaction and could have throttled him for the smirk he wore on that ridiculously good looking face.

"Let me fix that," he said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at her mug.

The next sip she took was much cooler. "Thank you."

"No problem."

She seized her opportunity and tried to down her mug without making it too obvious what she was up to. But she couldn't help but think he knew what she was after. Otherwise he wouldn't have cooled her tea for her.

'Damn arrogant wiseass,' she thought darkly. 'He's got something up his sleeve, I know it.'

She was surprised when he stood up a few moments later, taking his empty mug to the sink and rinsing it out. When did he drink that entire mug? Was she blind? She pretended not to notice. It worked well, until she felt him right behind her.

He put his hand on her left shoulder and leaned down, placing his lips very near her ear.

"It's okay to feel, Hermione," he whispered huskily.

He felt her shudder beneath his hand. Controlling his grin, he straightened up and left the kitchen, trailing his hand along the back of her neck as he went.

Hermione sat there, stunned. She hadn't had that strong of a reaction to a man's touch in forever. Her mind was spinning out of control. She stared at his retreating back, her mouth agape.

What was it about Sirius Black that left her breathless and jittery?


	9. No Holding Back

**Disclaimer: **Seriously, must I say this every time? It's not mine!

**A.N. **I'm really glad you guys liked the last chapter! Again, I apologize for the long delay. I'm really hoping to get one more chapter done before I leave for college, but don't get your hopes up too high. I love you guys to pieces! You make me one happy author!

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**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Nine: **No Holding Back

_It's okay to feel._

How is it that four words as simple as those could set Hermione into a tailspin? How is it that she could barely bring herself to function on a daily basis ever since he had murmured those words in her ear? Why couldn't she set her mind straight and get him out of her head?

Why, why, why? All these whys and it was driving Hermione insane. Aside from the fact that she couldn't get that snarky, brooding, devilishly handsome man out of her head.

"Devilishly handsome? Did I seriously just think that?" she asked herself aloud as she tried to focus on the book she was reading.

Yes, she was pretty sure she was a lost cause. She might as well just give up and surrender to the foreign feelings that Sirius was causing her to feel. But if she gave up, then she wouldn't be Hermione, would she?

"Ah, hell. Who am I kidding?" she muttered, slamming her book shut and tossing it onto the coffee table that her feet were propped up on.

She laid her head against the low back of the couch she was sitting on in the library, her usual haunt when she wasn't in her room. She thought about all her insane feelings and her general behavior over the past week. She hadn't exactly been Hermione lately. So why not just give in to the madness that Sirius was causing, be happy, and return (as best as she could) to her normal self?

Reality returned to her for a brief moment. Three days. Seventy two hours. Too damn short in her opinion. It would be four years since she lost Ron. Four years. They'd been nothing short of hell for her.

She shook her head. Was that really why she was holding back? Was Ron still as present as he ever was? Was she still clinging stubbornly to the memories, the love, the time they had together?

She snorted. Of course she was still clinging on. And for dear life too. Letting go of Ron would be letting go of the familiar. Even if it did cause her near daily pain. If she let go of Ron and embraced what could be with Sirius, she'd be heading out into unfamiliar waters. And it terrified her. To let go of the only love she'd ever truly had was feeling nearly impossible. Why would she let go of the only love she'd 

ever known to try it with someone else? It was an insane thing to do. Something the rational, normal Hermione Granger would never do.

"I haven't exactly been rational lately," she reasoned aloud, staring up at the ceiling as she mused.

"Got that right."

Hermione snapped her head up to see Ginny grinning at her from where she stood at the opposite end of the couch.

"How long have you been standing there?" she demanded.

"Long enough to confirm my suspicions," Ginny replied easily as she settled herself on the couch.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What suspicions?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Darling, must I spell it out for you? You already know it. You've been sitting there for the past ten minutes all googly-eyed and smiling like a loon. You're in bloody love, that's what you are. And I've been suspecting it for awhile now."

"No, I'm not," Hermione automatically denied, but the words sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.

Ginny noticed how even Hermione realized the words were false. Her grin grew wider. "See?"

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "Do you realize how bad the timing is?"

"Quite the opposite, I think the timing couldn't be better," Ginny said firmly.

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at her redheaded friend with disbelief. "How could you even begin to think-?"

"Hermione, it's been four years," Ginny interrupted, her face stern. "It's time to move on. You don't need to be sitting around moping all day like I know you will. You have to face it. He's gone. He's not coming back. You'll always have the memories, but you have to move on. He was my brother and I miss him so very much every day, but it kills me to see you not living the life that he died to protect."

Hermione flinched. Ginny was right. Ron had died to save her so that she could live her life. And she was sitting around pissing it away and being miserable and alone.

Ginny watched with satisfaction as her words took hold of Hermione. She breathed a tiny sigh of relief; finally, her brunette friend had received the wake up call that was so very long overdue.

"But what about Harry?" Hermione tried vainly one last time.

Ginny waved it away with her hand. "Don't worry about Harry. I'll talk to him. He'll understand perfectly."

Hermione gulped. Harry would understand perfectly? A tiny part of her hoped that he wouldn't and that he'd forbid it. Her stomach twisted. She was messed up. A masochist, perhaps. Honestly, torturing herself like this was going to take its toll one day.

'_And that's why you need Sirius_,' the little voice in her head told her sternly.

'Right, to pick up the pieces that are left after I self destruct? He doesn't need to put up with that nonsense,' she argued silently.

'_Hey, he thinks he's no good for you, either. You'll be perfect together!_'

Hermione shook her head and looked around at Ginny, only to find that end of the couch empty. She must have left when Hermione was arguing with the voice in her head.

"Voices in my head? I must be mental," she sighed as she allowed her head to fall onto the back of the couch once more.

* * *

"Moony, I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't get her out of my head!" Sirius moaned to his best friend over shots of firewhiskey at the local wizarding pub.

Remus's mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile. "I think you know exactly what's wrong with you, Padfoot."

Sirius sighed and threw back the shot of liquor, shuddering as it burned on the way down. "But it's just so wrong."

"According to whom?"

Sirius looked disbelievingly at his friend. "Remus, it's _Hermione_. My godson's best friend. Ron's former fiancée. She's untouchable."

Remus tried to keep his annoyance from showing. "Again, according to whom?"

Sirius tried to switch tactics. "I'm too old for her."

"Bullshit."

"I'm damaged goods. She doesn't need someone like me."

"She's damaged goods too. Quite the contrary, I think you two would be perfect for each other. You can sympathize with what she's going through, what she's already been through. She needs someone in her life, Sirius."

Sirius sighed again. He should have known going drinking with Remus was a bad idea. He'd been looking for someone to sympathize with him on the situation. Sometimes, old Moony was a bigger pain in the ass than what Sirius needed. He was too damn logical and rational for his own good.

"Harry would never approve," he said finally, his last ditch effort to find a way out.

Remus snorted. "Sirius, you're a grown man. Do you really need the approval of your godson as to who you can get close to?"

"She's his bloody goddamn best friend!" he hissed.

"And your point?"

Sirius actually growled. "Why do you have to be so fucking rational all the fucking time?"

Remus had the audacity to laugh. "I'm just trying to help you both out here. I think if you two got together, it would do a whole world of good."

Instead of answering, Sirius knocked back another shot of firewhiskey. He'd already had several, and the liquor was starting to have an effect on him. Though he was nowhere near his limit, he decided to call it a night before he became incredibly plastered.

He was a bit unsteady on his feet as he and Remus walked back to Grimmauld Place, but was otherwise in full control of his functions. He felt a touch of guilt for coming home a bit drunk, and nonetheless miserable over a girl he knew he should never have. He was acting very much like his teenage self. The very thought made him chuckle.

"What?" Remus asked, hearing his friend's quiet laughter.

"I'm strongly reminded of my former youth," Sirius said drily.

"Funny, I was thinking the same."

Remus helped him down the stairs into the kitchen, where they found Hermione at the table, her numerous work files spread about the place. Their entrance broke her concentration, and she set down the quill she'd been sucking on.

"Remus, he looks a little worse for wear. Where did you two go?" Hermione asked.

Sirius straightened up the best he could in his inebriated state and puffed out his chest to prove he wasn't looking rather like a haggard drunk.

"We went to the local wizarding pub," Remus told her, fighting against the laughter that was swelling from Sirius's antics.

"Ah. I see. And exactly how much did you drink?"

"Not enough!" Sirius declared, tripping over his feet as he made to sit down at the table.

Hermione had enough sense to hastily Vanish her files for safe keeping. Who knew what craziness Sirius could get up to when he was liquored up?

"Well, Hermione, I'd love to stay, but Tonks will probably be after my head for being out late. I'll see you two later," Remus excused himself back up the stairs to leave.

Hermione scowled after his retreating back. She had no desire to be left to look after a drunken man. Granted, it was Sirius, so how much trouble could he really be?

"What were you working on, Hermione?" Sirius asked after a few moments of quiet, his head resting in his hands.

"I was just organizing my work files and wrapping up loose ends in some of my cases," she said evasively as she surveyed him. "You look like hell, Sirius."

"Bullshit. I've been a lot worse off than this before. I drank nowhere near my usual capacity," Sirius waved it off.

"And how many times have you been out drinking since you've returned?" she asked, knowing full well that his tolerance for alcohol was to be low after ten years of sobriety.

Sirius looked a bit sheepish. "Actually, this was the first time."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You idiot. Did it not occur to you that your tolerance for liquor was going to be low after not drinking for ten years?"

Sirius winced at her raised voice. "Hermione, love, please, could you lower it a few octaves?"

Her stomach jumped at the word 'love' but she shrugged it off. "Could you at least _try_ to use that brain of yours for once?"

"You should come out with us sometime. You'd have fun," Sirius said, ignoring her jab.

"I don't drink that much," she said dismissively.

"Exactly. You need to have some fun every now and then. It might loosen you up," he teased.

Hermione laughed. "You need to go to bed, Sirius. Before that mouth of yours gets you into trouble."

He grinned devilishly. "Oh, this is nothing. This mouth could do a lot more to cause twice the trouble."

Her face reddened when she realized what he was getting at. It was time to steer this out of dangerous waters while she still had her mind going in a relatively clean direction.

"Come on, I'll help you up to bed," she offered, standing up and holding out her hand.

He stood up rather unsteadily and took her hand. "Are you gonna put me in my pajamas too?"

"Sirius! Honestly!"

He chuckled huskily in her ear as he draped an arm over her shoulders on the pretense that he couldn't move unaided. Again, he felt her give an involuntary shiver. His grin widened.

"Well, that wouldn't be right. See, I'm not much for pajamas. I prefer to go starkers," he said conversationally.

Hermione couldn't help the vivid mental picture that formed from those words. She was turning into a hopeless case with him around all the time. She was like putty in his hands.

"I could have forgone that bit of information, Sirius," she groaned, shaking her head as she put an arm around his waist to help him up the stairs to the main floor.

She steered him up the stairs to the third landing and down the hall to his room. She opened his door and pulled him inside, slightly struggling under his weight. Without much ado, she dumped him onto his bed, where he sprawled with a grateful groan.

She stood there for a moment, catching her breath and staring down at the man who tugged at her heartstrings. As she breathed deep, her lungs filled with his scent, which permeated the room. She felt the tension of the day leave her as she breathed in. There was something about him and his scent that made her feel at peace and very safe.

She gave a shake of her head. She had to get out of here, and fast. Otherwise she might very well do something incredibly stupid. And then it'd be all over.

She reached down to lift his legs onto the bed so he'd be more comfortable. "Sleep well, Sirius."

"G'night, love," he muttered, his eyes shut and already half asleep.

She tiptoed out of his room and shut the door quietly after her. Somehow, she couldn't control the grin that stretched across her face as she made her way down the stairs to her own room.

* * *

The room was quiet and dark, with the exception of the flickering fire. Lord Voldemort stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring into the dancing flames. His faithful followers stood in a half circle behind him, completely silent, waiting to hear their leader's words.

"Severus, what say you?" the Dark Lord finally said.

Severus Snape stepped forward from his place in the half circle and spoke from beneath his hood. "The Order is no closer to finding out who the moles in the Ministry are. Even with their members like Potter, Shacklebolt, Tonks, Weasley and Granger in all the well-placed departments, they are still running blind."

The Dark Lord smiled sadistically. "Excellent."

Snape stepped back into his place while the excited murmurs of his peers echoed around him. The downfall of the Ministry was near. Blood would be had. Death would ensue. Chaos and disorder would reign. And their Dark Lord would be in total control.

It would be beautiful.

* * *

"Hello, Mum."

Hermione stood on the front porch of her childhood home, having decided she would take advantage of her Saturday off to visit her parents. Of course, her visit also served as a well-timed distraction; today was the four year anniversary of Ron's death.

Hermione's mother, Jane, smiled happily at her daughter. "Oh, you've finally come to visit! Your father and I have missed you so much!"

Hermione felt the gaping hole in her heart lessen just a bit at her mother's words. She allowed herself to be pulled into a bone-breaking hug and ushered inside to the living room, where her father, Thomas was sitting in his favorite armchair with the paper in his hands.

"Hermione! Finally found the time for a visit, eh?" he teased as he got up to give his daughter a hug.

She smiled sheepishly as she stepped away from her father's embrace. "Yes, well, work has been busy as of late."

Jane surveyed her daughter critically. "Darling, have you been eating enough lately? You look awfully thin."

Hermione grimaced. Leave it to her mother to notice she wasn't in the best of shape at the present moment. Maybe coming to see her parents now, of all times, was the wrong idea. . .

"I've been eating, Mum, really. I've just been really busy, that's all. I have deadlines I have to meet at the Ministry, you know. I have hardly any leisure time."

"You look pretty tired there, pumpkin," her father piped up, as he too surveyed her closely.

She gritted her teeth at the use of her childhood pet name, but said nothing. "I came for a pleasant visit, you know. You two aren't going to stand there all day and tell me I need to change my daily routine, are you?"

Jane and Thomas exchanged a look. The significance of the day wasn't lost on them. Perhaps they were going at it a bit strong. Hermione was in no mood for the little comments that they had for her.

"Oh, darling, we're sorry. How about I fix us some lunch? Will you stay?" her mother placated.

Hermione sighed and rubbed a hand across her face. She would have been better off just staying home in the solitude of her room at Grimmauld Place.

"Sure, Mum. I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap at you and Dad."

She and her father joined her mother in the kitchen as she busied herself with making some sandwiches for lunch. Hermione chose to remain quiet; she didn't know what to say that wouldn't lead the discussion to the fact that today marked four years since Ron had been gone.

"So you brought Sirius Black back, eh?" her father made a stab at a normal conversation.

She nodded. "Yes, and I still don't know how I managed to get the spell to work. It's great though. Harry's been on cloud nine since he's returned."

"He's Harry's godfather, isn't that right, darling?" her mother asked from her place at the counter, where she was fixing a pile of ham sandwiches.

"Yes, that's right. Harry's really quite glad that he's back. Those ten years Sirius was gone were really hard on him. He needed a parental figure to look up to."

"Well, he did have the Weasleys," her father said, then realized what he said and had the decency to look guilty.

Hermione said nothing, but her stomach twisted quite painfully.

"How are they doing these days, Hermione?" her mother asked cautiously.

"They were okay at the last Order meeting. I try to visit when I can," she said, trying to sound unruffled.

"And how is Ginny today?"

Hermione took a deep breath to steady herself. "She's sad, as I'm sure you can imagine. We all are."

Her father patted her arm comfortingly. "He was a good man, Hermione. We would have been more than happy to have him as a son-in-law."

Jane set the plate of sandwiches down on the table and rubbed her daughter's shoulders soothingly. "It's okay to miss him."

Hermione nodded, staring hard at the table in front of her, willing the tears that were burning at the back of her eyes to stay out of sight. She grabbed a sandwich and took a bite, hoping it would serve as another distraction. It tasted like sawdust.

She and her parents sat in silence for the rest of the meal. She had no desire to continue the conversation further, and they didn't know what to say to make her feel better. They were at a loss.

She managed down two sandwiches to keep her mother happy and polished off her glass of iced tea before standing.

"Well, I think I'll head home now," she said in what she hoped sounded like a cheerful voice.

"Come back and see us soon, pumpkin," her father said, hugging her tightly.

"Yes, darling, don't stay away so long," her mother urged, taking her turn to give her daughter a hug.

"I'll come back soon," she promised as she headed out the front door.

Once outside, Hermione took several more deep breaths, hoping the increase of oxygen would calm her down before she returned to Grimmauld Place. She had hoped the visit to her parents would serve as a pleasant distraction for the afternoon. Instead, they brought up the very thing she was trying to desperately to avoid.

She Disapparated to Grimmauld Place and let herself inside quietly. She could hear voices down in the kitchen, but she had no desire for company right now. She knew it was probably the rest of the Weasley family, and they were the last people she wanted to see.

She escaped to the library, which was mercifully empty. She sank down onto the couch and kicked her shoes off, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs before burying her face to cry.

These tears felt different to her. They weren't tears of heartbreak anymore. They were tears of loss, sure, but they felt like something more. They were tears of letting go. She was finally coming to terms with Ron's absence. She was moving on.

She sat in the silence of the library for a long time, the tears quietly streaming down her face. She did nothing to try to stop them. She needed to get them out. After today, she was going to try harder to live a normal life. She was going to embrace the unfamiliar. She would allow Sirius to get closer. Most importantly, she would allow love back into her life.

"Aunt Ah-my-knee, why are you crying?" a small voice near her elbow asked.

Hermione looked up to find Sophie standing next to her, with Ginny and Harry behind her. They looked worried.

"Today is a sad day for me, Sophie," she said in a soggy voice as she tugged her little goddaughter up into her lap.

Sophie willingly obliged and rested her head in the crook of Hermione's neck. "Don't be sad, Auntie."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at Sophie's adorable innocence. She looked up at Harry and Ginny and patted the couch next to her. They smiled and sat down with her, Ginny laying her head against Hermione's other shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" she asked softly.

"I think I'm going to be okay," Hermione answered truthfully.

"How did the visit with your parents go?" Harry asked curiously.

"Horribly," she admitted. "I went there looking for a distraction and they ended up bringing Ron up anyway."

He reached over and patted her knee. "I'm sorry, Hermione."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I think I needed to hear it. I left and came home and came straight up here to cry. I feel better now. I think I'm ready to move on finally."

Ginny lifted her head from Hermione's shoulder to look at her in amazement. "Are you really?"

Hermione smiled as she wiped away a stray tear. "Yes, I think so. What you said to me the other day made me realize how selfish I've been. Ron died to protect me. He gave up his life so that I could have my own. And I've just been wasting it away feeling sorry for myself. I'm tired of being sad all the time. And then Sirius. . ."

Harry looked up curiously. "What about Sirius?"

Ginny and Hermione exchanged a worried look.

"Sirius seems to have an interest in our bookworm here," Ginny said gently, smiling at the thought.

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yes, and Hermione seems to have an interest in him as well," Ginny declared.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Gin. So, does that bother you, Harry?"

He thought for a minute. "No, actually. I'm happy that you're moving on finally. You need someone in your life. It makes me sad to see you so alone. I think it's a good idea. I'll just have to have a little chat with my godfather to make sure he behaves himself."

Ginny rolled her eyes this time. "Anyways, my family was here earlier."

She nodded. "Yes, I thought I heard them downstairs."

"They were asking about you."

Hermione felt bad. "I should have come down. I'm sorry. I didn't think I could face them right then. I was about to lose it completely from being over at my parents."

Ginny nodded. "They understood, don't worry."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Hermione stroked Sophie's soft curls, feeling at peace with herself for the first time in a long time. It was a nice change.

Sirius walked in. "I was wondering where everyone was at. The house was a little too quiet for my taste."

Ginny stood up, pulling Harry with her. "We were just enjoying each other's company. But it looks like it's time to start dinner. Harry, help me, will you?"

Harry stood as well, pulling Sophie with him. "Sure thing, love. Come on Sophie, let's go help Mummy with dinner."

"Okay!" she chirped as she allowed her father to carry her out of the library.

Sirius hesitated by the couch, uncertain if he should sit down or not. Hermione smiled up at him, patting the couch next to her so he would sit. He returned her smile and sat down, probably closer than he should have, but when did he ever respect personal space?

"Are you okay?" he asked, draping his arm around her shoulders and looking at her closely.

"Actually, yes. I feel better now," she said, feeling her heart flutter at the feeling of his arm around her.

"Did you go see your parents today?"

"Yes. They didn't serve their purpose as a distraction though. They ended up talking about Ron."

He looked at her face carefully. He could see the dried tears on her cheeks. "Bet that didn't make you feel too good."

She shook her head. "No, it didn't. I came back here and cried. But I think I'm ready to move on. I've been selfish for thinking I'm the only one who's suffered from his death. He died to protect me and to give me a life. And I've just been pissing it away for the past four years. What a way to repay his sacrifice, eh?"

"I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm glad you finally see the light," Sirius said lightly, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

She laughed. "I do see the light, and I'm ready to live again."

"Glad to hear it."

They didn't say anything for awhile as they sat there, enjoying being close to each other, though neither said it aloud. Hermione was feeling bold, though. Her reawakening was pushing her to do things that she would have never considered otherwise.

"Sirius?"

He rolled his head around to look at her. "Mmm?"

She turned to look him right in the eyes. "I like you."

He grinned. "Gee, Hermione, I like you too."

She shook her head, smiling. "No, I mean, I really like you."

He knew what she was getting at, and he was enjoying this immensely. "I really like you too."

She watched as his grin widened and his eyes wandered all over her face, taking her in. She felt a slight blush creep up, but she pushed on. She curled her legs up next to her on the couch and turned to face him completely.

"Sirius, I'm interested in you. You fascinate me. You helped me see what I was missing. But you also make my heart do weird things when you're near me. And your touch makes my stomach jump. I can't help but smile when you look at me. I feel safe when I'm with you. You make me feel alive."

Sirius felt his grin slacken. He had no idea she would throw it all out there like that. She took him by surprise. But then again, that was something he loved about her. No matter how down she was feeling at the time, she would still manage to surprise the hell out of him. And this was one of those times.

She watched his face carefully. She had shocked him, she could see that much. He cast his eyes down, away from her face. He was thinking. She hoped she didn't scare him off. That wouldn't make her feel too good after the day she'd had.

He looked up at her again. His brown eyes were full of warmth as he regarded her carefully. She sat there patiently, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Hermione, I'm flattered. I had no idea you felt this way. You fascinate me too. When I came back from the Veil and saw how much you had changed, I was intrigued. What happened to the backwards, bossy bookworm that I remembered from before the Veil? You had changed so much, but you grew up beautifully. You're a beautiful woman now. I wish I had been around to watch you all grow up."

She knew there was more, so she sat there quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"It hurt me to see you hurting the way you were. It felt like my heart broke for you when I found out what happened. But I couldn't stand to see you so sad and lifeless all the time. I know what it does to a person. I've been there. I wanted to make you see that there was more to life than what you 

thought there was. And while I tried to figure out a way to fix you, to make you a little less broken, I figured something out."

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

The way he said it, so boldly, as if he didn't care if she didn't feel the same way, it made her look away from his warm eyes. He had just surprised her too.

Sirius sat there patiently, knowing he had just thrown her for a loop. Hell, he'd sit there for the rest of eternity, if that's what it took to get her. He'd wait for her, no matter what.

She looked back at him, worrying her lip between her teeth as she thought about what he just said and what exactly she felt for him. She knew there was more to her feelings than just the butterflies and the way her heart jumped when she was around him.

"I think I'm falling in love with you too, Sirius."

He couldn't help himself; the way she looked up at him through her thick lashes and the way she was chewing on her lip, as though she was worried she would upset him, it was too much. He reached out a hand to gently stroke her tear-stained cheek. He smiled as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. She was so goddamn beautiful to him.

He leaned in and gently captured her lips with his own. He felt her smile and couldn't control his own. In this moment, he was no longer a broken man, and she was no longer a broken woman. They were just Sirius and Hermione, and they had finally found each other.


	10. Secrets

**Disclaimer:** Hey, if someone can get their hands on the deed to Harry Potter for me, I'll make you co-owner with me.

**A.N.** Finally, another update! Sorry it took so long. I'm finally at college, which means I'm super busy now! Ah! It pretty much goes without saying that updates are pretty much up in the air from now on. But I promise I won't forget about you guys and Sirius and Hermione. After all, their story deserves to be told. Anywho, here you go! Enjoy!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Ten: **Secret

"Bugger. These bastards don't set much store by punctuality, do they?"

Sirius was antsy. Antsy and impatient and worried. He had hoped this mission would be a quick one, just bang in there and get the job done and get out as soon as he could. But so far, his hopes had been dashed miserably.

"Calm down, Sirius. Don't get all pissed on me now. I need you to keep your cool. We both know what's at risk here," Harry beseeched him quietly.

Sirius sighed but did his best to cool his temper. His godson was right, there was no place for his hot head on this mission, not tonight. Things could get ugly too fast for Sirius's towering temper, and he couldn't risk doing something stupid that would get him hurt.

He and Harry settled back into a more comfortable position against the boulder they were leaning on. They had staked out another Death Eater camp and were waiting unseen in the shadows for a sign that some of the Death Eaters were getting ready to move out. So far, there had been no sign of movement, and Harry and Sirius had been sitting patiently for nearly three hours.

Dumbledore had come to Sirius with the mission a week ago. Snape had given him intelligence that Voldemort was going straight to the most vital point of the Ministry: Minister Cornwell himself. The plan was to have several high ranking Death Eaters sneak into the Minister's house during the night and place him under the Imperius Curse. From there, the downfall of the Ministry into the hands of Voldemort would be quick and easy.

Dumbledore wanted Sirius and Harry to track down the camp where the Death Eaters would depart from. Once there was certainty that the Death Eaters were moving out, Harry and Sirius were to follow to the Minister's home, which had been placed under strong wards and other sources of magical security. The two were to apprehend the Death Eaters as quickly and quietly as possible, without awakening the Minister or his family.

Sirius was more than eager to accept a role in the mission, though he was slightly puzzled as to why Dumbledore thought only two men were needed to take down a group of Death Eaters.

"Sirius, forgive me for saying so, but you have perhaps the biggest temper of anyone I have ever known. You and Harry should be more than capable of taking in a few Death Eaters. Unless you feel you need more reinforcements?" Dumbledore asked lightly, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Sirius hastily agreed that he and Harry would be able to handle a couple of lousy Death Eaters. For the rest of the week, he and Harry had quietly plotted out their moves and how they would take down the bastards who were trying to overthrow the Ministry. They wanted to keep it as low key as possible; no hints or signs that the Dark league's opponents were on to their plan to take out the Minister. They had fashioned a Portkey to take them to the outer grounds of the Minister's estate, creating a chance for more cover once the Death Eaters moved in, and less of a chance of being discovered by using noisy Apparition. All they needed now was the sign that the Death Eaters were moving in for the take down.

"So Ginny was all right with you taking on this mission?" Sirius asked curiously as the minutes ticked on with no sign of movement from the camp.

Harry shrugged. "She didn't say either way. Of course she'll be worried, but with things the way they are right now, who isn't worried about something?"

Sirius nodded. It was true; the world had been in a constant state of turmoil for too long. Everyone had a reason to worry or fear something. There was hardly a happy face to be had in the streets anymore. Tension was everywhere and tempers were running hot. It was the chaos that Voldemort fed on.

He felt his stomach contract with his own tension. What he wouldn't give to have this mission over and done with already. He wanted to be back at Grimmauld Place with Hermione, where he knew he could feel safe and let the stress and worry melt away. But he doubted Hermione would be very pleased with him once he returned.

"You never told Hermione you were taking this mission on, did you?" Harry asked.

Sirius sighed and shook his head no. "She didn't need to be worrying about me. She's got enough on her plate right now."

"I think you're wrong, Sirius. You should have told her," Harry disagreed.

"She would have murdered me. Then what good would I have been, eh?" Sirius tried to say airily.

Harry frowned at him. "That's not funny, Sirius, and you know it. Think about how pissed she's going to be when she finds out what you've been up to."

The older man winced at the thought, but shrugged it off. "I can handle her. No problem. Hey, look, I think we're about to get lucky."

Harry followed his godfather's line of sight and saw six Death Eaters moving away from the camp, no more than black shadows drifting through the darkness. With several loud pops, they all Disapparated.

Harry and Sirius stood up hastily and departed to their own destination, under the cover of the surrounding brush near the Minister's manor. As quietly as they could, they began moving around the perimeter, locating the Death Eaters as they carefully prepared their attack. Harry could feel his heart begin to pound harder as they crept closer to the masked fiends. He glanced sideways at Sirius and found his godfather looking ready for a fight.

"The wards will hold for awhile. They're going to have to find a way through those first, and then past us," Harry whispered as they watched the Death Eaters struggle with the defenses on the house.

"Excellent. Let them try to get around us," Sirius whispered back, clutching his wand tightly in his hand.

The Death Eaters were beginning to get angry at the intense protection on the house. Their mutterings were growing louder and more agitated as they tried and failed several more times to get inside. The longer it took them, the more uneasy they became, their eyes darting around, squinting in the darkness to detect any source of threat to their plan.

"Shall we activate our traps?" Sirius muttered as he watched the Death Eaters struggle some more.

"Let's take them out," Harry agreed.

Silently, they raised their wands and murmured the incantations for the hidden traps around the manor. Then they sat back and waited for the Death Eaters to discover their unpleasant surprises.

Nott was the first one to go down.

"A little to the left. . .a bit more. . .closer. . .closer. . ." Sirius muttered as he watched Nott move closer to the trap he had set out.

With a loud bang, Nott was hoisted fifteen feet into the air by an unseen force. He gave a frightened yell and began to struggle, looking ridiculously stupid as his robes fell over his head and his mask slipped off his face.

"Get me down! You lot, help me!" he cried, twisting violently in the air as he tried to free himself from the invisible force holding him.

Harry grinned appreciatively at his godfather. "Nice one, mate."

Sirius grinned back. "I try, what can I say? Oooh, heads up, I think Goyle's about to discover one of your surprises."

The two men turned back to the scene, which was quickly falling towards chaos. Macnair and Avery were attempting to free Nott from his upside down death hold, which was beginning to have quite the effect on the man. His face was fast approaching a lovely shade of purple due to the blood pooling in his head. A few more minutes and he'd be unconscious, which would save Harry and Sirius a lot of trouble.

Goyle, the bumbling idiot that he was, was blundering around, being completely unhelpful to the others, who were now arguing loudly over whether or not they should continue with the attempt to break into the Minister's manor and curse him. Either out of sheer stupidity or a hope to gain a little favor with the Dark Lord, Goyle sloped up to the front door of the manor and attempted to open it.

"Gotcha," Harry muttered as he watched the brainless git jump back from the door, clutching his hands in agony, as they had been burned badly from the contact with the door handle.

Yaxley and the others who were arguing rushed toward him, completely forgetting about Nott, who was now hanging immobile from thin air, the overflow of blood to the head forcing him into unconsciousness.

"We've got to abandon this, lads, something's amiss," Macnair stated, looking all around for the source of all the trouble.

"But we swore to the Dark Lord that we'd take care of this once and for all!" Rodolphus Lestrange exclaimed.

"Yeah, but not at the price of all our lives, or worse, capture!" Avery argued as he continued in vain to free the unconscious Nott from his midair capture.

Sirius and Harry exchanged a mildly entertained look.

"Shall we just get on with the grand finale?" Sirius suggested.

"Mmm, perhaps, perhaps. I think we've let them blunder along and suffer long enough. I think they're ready to be brought in," Harry declared.

"On three then?"

"Let's get this over with so we can go home," Harry agreed, rolling up his sleeves and raising his wand.

Together, they cast a powerful Binding Curse, laughing all the while as they watched the confused Death Eaters smack together like magnets attracted to metal. Loud swearing and cursing erupted from the men as they struggled futilely to break free.

Sirius and Harry emerged from their dark hiding spot, grinning at the men as they approached. Once the Death Eaters caught sight of the two, the swearing and curses grew all the more louder.

"Potter and Black! I should have known!" Macnair roared as he struggled against the invisible force holding him tightly to the other men.

Sirius smiled cheerily. "Evening, gentlemen. Fancy finding you all here at the Minister's manor."

All six men glared at them. None of them spoke.

"Well, Harry, this is a predicament. How strange to find six known Death Eaters at the Minister's manor, don't you agree?" Sirius asked lightly, turning to his godson.

Harry nodded. "Too right you are, Sirius. It's a bit too odd to be coincidental. I wonder what the Minister would have to say to this?"

Sirius sighed theatrically. "He probably wouldn't be too pleased to be woken at this time of night. Best save it for morning. But what to do with these toerags?"

Harry grinned. He loved nothing more than to irritate captured Death Eaters. "Well, I suppose we could just leave them here. But imagine how that would ruin the Minister's morning when he awakes. Perhaps it would be best to just take them to the Ministry and let the Aurors sort them out."

"Couldn't agree with you more, my boy. I think the Aurors will be very pleased to see these chaps. What do you say, old boys? Fancy a chat with the Aurors?"

"Get fucked, Black," Avery spat out, his face twisted with rage.

"Ugh, no thanks, Avery. Not by the likes of you, anyway," Sirius declined lightly.

"You think you're so good, Black," Macnair growled, fighting harder against the bonds holding them all together.

"He doesn't think, Macnair. He _knows_. Obviously, otherwise you morons wouldn't be stuck together like this," Harry retorted, holding his wand at the ready still.

"You Order lot must think you're invincible," Yaxley spat as he too continued to work against the impossible bind placed on him.

"Well, seeing as Harry and I are still standing here with our wands, and you lot aren't, I would say that's a pretty safe assumption to make," Sirius said rather lazily.

"Seems you spoke too soon, Black," came a voice from behind the two men.

Harry and Sirius spun on the spot, then found themselves dropping hastily to the ground as the Killing Curse soared overhead. The two glared up at their attacker, finding themselves staring into Lucius Malfoy's cold, sneering eyes.

"Looks as though the Order will be two members short after tonight," Malfoy said in a soft voice as he advanced toward the two men.

"Oh yeah, Malfoy? What makes you so sure?" Harry huffed as he scrambled off the ground, pulling Sirius with him.

"Well, there's two of you lot, and there are more of us," Malfoy declared, gesturing behind him as more masked figures moved silently from the trees.

Sirius exchanged a quick look with his godson. They hadn't anticipated this in the least. He and Harry were in for fight, whether they liked it or not.

At nearly the same time, the air exploded with magic as curses and spells flew toward each offending group, the intent not merely to maim anymore but to kill. Harry and Sirius ducked and rolled, shoving each other out of harm's way when the other wasn't aware of death speeding at him. Harry caught a hex to the forearm, leaving it bleeding profusely. He ignored it as he threw curse after curse at the unrelenting Death Eaters.

"Harry, get to the ones we caught and get them out of here! At least the Aurors will have them!" Sirius shouted at Harry as he somersaulted past.

Harry didn't answer but flew toward the other Death Eaters, who were still bound together, despite numerous cries for help from their battling comrades. He yanked an old, worn hat from his jeans and crawled toward the group, avoiding the curses that still rent the air.

"Well, it's the end of the line, boys," Harry declared as he stuffed the hat into Goyle's hands.

The group of Death Eaters glowed bright blue for an instant, and then they were gone. The hat Portkey had taken them to the Auror's department at the Ministry back in London.

Harry turned back to the battle that was raging behind him. Somehow, Sirius was managing to hold off at least five different Death Eaters. How that was possible, Harry wasn't sure, but he launched himself back into the fray all the same. His timing couldn't have been better, as Sirius caught a curse to the face and his cheek split open, the blood streaming down his face.

Sirius glanced around as he held off the remaining Death Eaters. There was no way that he and Harry were going to be able to finish this on their own. He conjured a hasty Patronus and sent it off to Dumbledore, who had assured the men that he would be waiting for word at a moment's notice should they get into trouble.

Harry saw the Patronus streak off out of the corner of his eye and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Help was on the way shortly. They could win this yet.

Several loud pops announced the arrival of the backup that Sirius had requested. Several members of the Order materialized from thin air and immediately set upon the remaining Death Eaters. Harry and Sirius couldn't hold back their grins of triumphant victory as one by one, Voldemort's followers were taken out.

"Excellent work, mates," Harry said joyfully as he looked down on the magically bound Dark wizards.

"Yeah, well done everyone. Couldn't have done it without you," Sirius declared happily as he clapped Tonks on the shoulder.

"Shall we take care of these idiots, or would you like to do the honors?" Tonks asked.

"We'll take care of it," Harry assured her.

"Yeah, then we can go home," Sirius said with a sigh of relief.

* * *

Hermione was having a marginally good day for once. Work had been somewhat pleasant for her, as Reese was out in the field for the day, leaving her to the peace and quiet of an empty office. She had managed to get quite a bit done without the constant nagging coming from Reese. She found herself actually whistling as she strolled from the Ministry at the end of the day.

It was a warm summer's evening as she walked leisurely down the bustling London streets, not in any hurry to find an abandoned alley to Disapparate from. She smiled at passersby as she walked along, something she hadn't done in a very long time. It felt good to be so carefree and happy. She felt as though she had been reborn into the light after spending so much time wallowing in her depression from losing Ron.

She found a darkened alley after wandering along for a half hour, deciding it was at last time to go home to see the rest of her family. She always found herself melting at the sight of Sophie's little grin and her giggles as Hermione would often pick her up and spin her around in a big hug. Of course, there was always Sirius to look forward to as well. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she recalled his enthusiastic greetings when she would return home from work over the past week.

She couldn't tell if it was her eagerness to see Sirius or the others that made her spin on the spot as soon as the coast was clear. Regardless, it was always a relief to be back at home, where she knew she could always find everyone safe and happy.

If only the rest of the Wizarding world could be so safe and happy. Just in the past week alone, there had been five more murders, as well as a marked increase in the number of Muggle and Muggleborn attacks. Dumbledore had nearly everyone in the Order on their toes, whether it be out on patrol or out on a mission, or even sorting through all the information that Snape was gathering for them.

Hermione tried to shrug off all the worries of the war as she hopped up the steps of Grimmauld Place. She was in a good mood; there was no reason to spoil it now. It was best to leave her work worries at work, her Order worries at the meetings, and just enjoy the life that she was living at the present.

She entered the dim and cool front hall and kicked off her shoes before heading up the stairs to her room, where she gladly dumped off her bulging messenger bag. The strap had been cutting into her shoulder for the past half hour, which left a lovely red stripe to grace her pale skin. She stretched hugely and looked around her room, feeling the relief of being at home after a long day at work.

Hermione stifled a yawn as she headed back downstairs, where she knew she'd find Ginny and Sophie in the kitchen. She followed her nose's lead as she breathed in the smell of something delicious cooking.

She descended the stairs into the kitchen to find Sophie playing with her toy broomstick near the pantry and Ginny preparing a salad at the counter near the stove. Sure enough, there was a pot simmering away and emitting the most delicious smell.

"Auntie 'Mione's home!" Sophie exclaimed as she dropped her broomstick and jumped up to hug Hermione around the knees.

"Hello, love! How are you?" Hermione asked as she swung Sophie up into her arms.

"Good! I helped Mummy clean today," Sophie proclaimed as she played with Hermione's curls.

Ginny grinned at her daughter and best friend over her shoulder as she cut some tomatoes up for the salad she was working on.

"Good day, Hermione?"

"Long," she replied, settling down in one of the chairs with Sophie on her lap. "But Reese wasn't around to bother me all day, so I got quite a bit accomplished, actually."

"That's good. Just don't overwork yourself like you did when you brought Sirius back, okay? We sort of value your life around here, you know?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, ma'am. Can I help you with dinner?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nope. You just sit there and relax. It's almost done anyways."

Hermione sighed but did as she was told. She magicked some coloring books and crayons to occupy Sophie with and sat there with the little girl, enjoying her goddaughter's nonsense singing as she colored. It was rather quiet in the kitchen besides Sophie's singing, and it took a few minutes for Hermione to realize that.

She looked over at Ginny, frowning. "It's too quiet around here. Where's Sirius? Normally he's down here pestering your or playing with Sophie."

Ginny didn't answer right off. Hermione was immediately suspicious.

"And where's Harry? He usually gets home at the same time I do."

Ginny concentrated on finishing the salad she was preparing before answering Hermione. She tried to figure out the best way to tell her friend where the men were. But there would be no easy way to tell her. Regardless of how gently she broke the news, Hermione would go ballistic.

"Ginny, just spit it out. I'm not going to like it anyway, so just give it to me straight."

Ginny turned around to find Hermione staring a hole through her, the look in her eyes determined and suspicious. She gulped, steeling herself for the onslaught of Hermione's anger.

"They won't be home for awhile. They had to take care of something," Ginny said evasively.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What kind of something, exactly?"

Ginny picked up a spoon and stirred the contents of the pot to avoid Hermione's pointed look. "Dumbledore had a mission he wanted them to take care of."

"What kind of mission?" Hermione's words cracked like a whip.

Ginny cringed. "The Death Eaters have been planning on attacking the Minister's house under the cover of night to place him under the Imperius Curse so that Voldemort could take over quickly and quietly. Dumbledore wanted Harry and Sirius to take care of the Death Eaters before they could get to the Minister. The ambush is planned for tonight. With any luck, Harry and Sirius will be able to take them down before they get to Cornwell."

Hermione took several deep breaths to calm herself. Exploding with anger with her goddaughter in her lap wasn't the best idea in the world. But she really didn't feel like being rational at the moment. Harry had obviously told Ginny what he was up to, so why did Sirius take that liberty with her? Why was she the last to find out about this important mission? This wasn't one to be taken lightly. If something went wrong, one or both of the men that she loved very much could end up injured or killed.

She felt her stomach twist at the thought of losing yet another very important person in her life. To steady herself, she took a drink of the pumpkin juice sitting on the table near the coloring books Sophie was scribbling away in.

Ginny gave her a sympathetic look as she set down a plate of chops and gravy on the table for her. "I'm sure Sirius has a good reason for not telling you what he was up to. Really. He probably just didn't want you to worry about him."

"Oh please. I think I'm more worried now after not knowing than I would have been in the first place. He'd better damn well have a good explanation for this," Hermione literally growled.

Ginny pulled Sophie off Hermione's lap and set her in her high chair and placed a smaller plate of food down for her to eat. Sophie, completely oblivious to her godmother's anger, picked up her fork, still singing her nonsensical songs and began to eat.

Ginny sat down at the table with Hermione and picked at her food. Now that the mission was out there in the open, Ginny could properly worry right along with Hermione about their men. It had been too hard to keep the carefree charade up for very long. At least they could be a source of comfort for each other.

Neither woman ate very much. After sitting in near silence for a half hour or so, they gave up on trying to make themselves eat and instead turned to cleaning the kitchen up. Sophie sat in her chair, watching her mother and godmother sweep around the kitchen, cleaning everything up in a halfhearted way.

"Mummy, when's Daddy and Uncle Sirie coming home?" she asked innocently.

Ginny and Hermione exchanged a look.

"They probably won't be home until after you go to sleep, darling," Ginny said softly, glancing at the clock as she spoke.

Hermione sighed as she too looked at the clock. It was nearly seven, but she knew it would be hours at the least before the men came back. She was looking a very long evening ahead of her.

They finished with the kitchen and Hermione followed Ginny and Sophie upstairs. Sophie was going straight to the bath. Hermione knew it was just another thing to keep Ginny occupied and not focused on the fact that her husband was out there doing something incredibly dangerous and risking his life.

Hermione left both mother and daughter in peace and went to her room, where she began compulsively straightening everything in sight. She straightened the pillows on her bed at least three times, not to mention going through every file in her messenger bag and re-alphabetizing them all and then ordering them according to case date.

When she grew tired of that and found that she couldn't stand to be in the room by herself, she wandered back down the stairs to find Ginny reading the _Prophet_ in the library while Sophie played with some of her dolls quietly on the floor near her mother. Unable to control herself, Hermione again glanced at the clock. It was barely eight thirty.

With a sigh, she flopped down on the couch and stretched so that she took up the entire space. She didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't want to think of what Harry and Sirius could possibly be doing. Horrible pictures were threatening to form in her mind's eye, but she refused to get carried away in her miserable thoughts. Sirius and Harry would be fine, but when they came back, Sirius was going to get a piece of her mind. He'd be begging for another round with the Death Eaters by the time she was finished with him.

She found herself pacing the length of the bookcases after sitting still became too big of a problem for her to handle. She knew she was being slightly unreasonable, but the stress of thinking of what could happen to Sirius and Harry was driving her mad. It shouldn't drive her crazy, but the idea of 

losing one of both of them was unimaginable and she did not want to deal with that pain all over again, not when she had finally begun to rebuild her life again.

Ginny carried a sleeping Sophie upstairs around ten. Hermione followed close behind just for the sake of not being alone with her racing mind. So many horrible possible outcomes of the surprise ambush kept running through her head, though she tried so hard to suppress them.

Ginny was in a similar position, though she was also worried for Hermione as well. If something should happen to either of the men, that fragile stability that Hermione had managed to build since she and Sirius got together would come crashing down. Ginny did not like to think of what would be left of her best friend if that should happen.

Once she had settled Sophie down in her bed, she beckoned for Hermione to follow her back downstairs to the kitchen. Hermione sat quietly at the table while Ginny moved around the kitchen slowly, making them both a steaming mug of tea, not because they were thirty but to have something to do with their hands and to focus on.

The candles were burning themselves out in their pools of wax, leaving the kitchen lit with an eerie, guttural light. Ginny and Hermione sat across from each other at the table still, though it was very late, nearing the two o'clock hour. Hermione sat with her head resting in her hands, though she was very much awake, her hearing attuned to every squeak the old house was making as it settled. All she was waiting for was the creak of the front door, announcing the arrival of the men.

At long last, as the clock was nearing three o'clock in the morning, the unmistakable sound of the front door creaking open was heard. Ginny and Hermione lifted their heads from their hands, their eyes turned toward the ceiling, hardly daring to believe that Harry and Sirius were finally home. As footsteps sounded on the stairs leading down into the kitchen, both women turned in their chairs to watch as first one pair of feet, then another appeared in the doorway.

"Ah, you're both still awake," Harry said, slightly surprised as he hit the last step.

"You had better believe we're still awake, Harry James Potter," Ginny cried softly as she leapt from her chair over to her husband, who winced slightly as she embraced him.

"Just a little scratch, nothing to worry about," Harry tried to dismiss the gash on his arm that was still oozing blood.

Ginny ignored him and pulled the arm up to eye level so she could see it better in the darkened kitchen. She gasped at the sight of the gaping wound.

"Just a little scratch? A scratch, my ass, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as she grabbed his uninjured arm and dragged him up the stairs so she could mend his injury properly.

Sirius had stayed close to the doorway during this exchange, unable to bring himself closer to Hermione, who was standing slightly behind Ginny, not looking in his general direction at all. She looked ready to kill.

Harry and Ginny's sudden absence from the kitchen left the air very tense and thick. Sirius stood awkwardly, unsure if he should try to speak to Hermione or whether it was safer to just bolt up the stairs and hide in his room. Feeling the latter would be very cowardly, he tried to find some courage to deal with the pissed off woman in front of him. It wasn't working very well.

Hermione could barely stand to look at him. Ginny had taken Harry upstairs, leaving Hermione the option of ripping Sirius a new one without an audience. She moved around the kitchen, gathering some first aid supplies to patch up her irresponsible man. She set her things down on the table, then finally turned to look at him with a piercing gaze.

"Sit."

He obeyed rather meekly, wincing at her tone as he perched on the kitchen table. He could see her smoldering anger in her honey eyes, though she wouldn't look at him.

Hermione wet the rag in her hands with the warm water in the bowl she had filled and brought it to his face with a shaking hand. Whether it was shaking from relief or anger, she wasn't sure.

Sirius winced again as pain shot through the deep cut on his cheek, but it wasn't the physical pain that was so hard to bear as was Hermione's anger toward him. He wouldn't try to placate her, not for the moment at least. She deserved to be angry at him. He would sit here and take whatever she would unleash on him. He couldn't argue that he didn't deserve it.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Hermione was mildly surprised that the anger in her voice burned quietly. She was in control, for now. It helped to focus on cleaning Sirius's face up.

"I didn't want to worry you," he said gently.

"That's bullshit and you know it," she snapped, the acidity of her anger burning at the back of her throat.

"I wanted. . .I wanted to protect you."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue between her teeth to keep from exploding, which she felt very close to doing. She took several calming breaths before she dared to speak.

"How does not telling me what you were doing protect me? What if something went wrong and no one knew where you were?"

"Dumbledore and Ginny knew what we were doing."

Hermione seemed to swell in her fury. "Of course they knew! But I'm left out of the loop! Why could Harry tell Ginny what was going on but you couldn't tell me? Did Dumbledore tell you not to tell me what you were up to?"

"Hermione, that's not it and you know it."

"Then fucking hell! What is it?"

Sirius stared at the enraged witch in front of him. He knew that she'd be pissed, but this was beyond what he'd imagined. He had no idea that she would come undone like this.

"Hermione, love, please calm down," he tried to soothe, laying both his hands on her shoulders.

She knocked his hands away and stepped out of his reach. "Do you have the faintest fucking idea what's been going through my head all night? Do you even grasp what you put me through at all?"

Sirius silently cursed Ginny for telling Hermione what was going on. "Yes, love, I know it was a bit stupid to not tell you what I was doing, and I'm sorry, really, I am."

She sniffed at his downplay of the situation. "A bit stupid? I think it was a bit more than stupid. You should have told me, Sirius. What could I have done? Told you not to go? You had your orders from Dumbledore, there would have been nothing I could have done. And yet, you wanted to 'protect me'."

Sirius sighed. "Hermione, I really am sorry. But think about it. If I had told you what I was up to, how dangerous this mission really was, how would you have reacted? You would have been worried to no end, sure, but I know what you're truly afraid of. You would have wanted to say good bye, just in case, and I didn't want that. I didn't want you to give up before anything ever happened. Harry and I were safe, truly, we were. I just didn't want you to lose hope and pull the 'just in case' bit."

Hermione stared very hard at her hand that was still wiping blood away from his face. His words sunk in very deep. He was right. She would have said good bye forever, just in case. She was so afraid to lose him, the person she had come to care very much about in the past weeks. With a mission as dangerous as the one he just did, there were risks. And she didn't want to lose the chance to say good bye, to have it robbed from her the way it had when Bellatrix murdered Ron.

Much to Sirius's surprise, Hermione leaned into him and rested her forehead against his chest. Taking that as his cue, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her as close as he could without hurting her. He could feel her shaking. He laid his uninjured cheek against the top of her head, humming slightly to soothe her further.

"It's okay. I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not before you're ready. And not without your permission," he said with a slight smile.

"Just do me a favor," she said softly, tilting her head back to look at his face.

"Sure thing, love," he said, kissing her forehead gently.

"Tell me the next time you go on a dangerous mission so I can at least prepare myself to be worried."

He chuckled. "Yes, love, of course."

Now that he was safe in her arms once more, Hermione felt much better. Her anger forgotten, she dropped the rag and kissed him full on the mouth. Feeling that sense of relief deepen further at being back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius responded in turn, wrapping his arms all the more tighter around her.

All was well again, for the moment. But it wouldn't last for long.


	11. The Fall of the Ministry

**Disclaimer: **All I want for Christmas is Sirius Black, Sirius Black, Sirius Black. . .(to be sung to the tune of "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth").

**A.N.** Argh! I'm soooooo sorry everyone! Writer's block again and keeping up with the college life. . .I know, no excuse. Okay, so the writer's block is fairly legitimate, but anyways, here's a Christmas present for you all! Enjoy!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Eleven: **The Fall of the Ministry

Summer was wearing on in a murky haze. Hot days were followed by muggy nights, and still the war was being fought. Voldemort seemed to be growing stronger with every week that passed, and still the Order plowed on, defending the innocent and engaging the Death Eaters in battle when there was no other peaceful option.

Things had been relatively quiet for the past week and a half, and Hermione was taking advantage of the calm on a Tuesday evening. The relentless heat had left her feeling like a wilted flower, parched and in desperate need of a watering. She was currently stretched out on her bed, stripped down to a pair of gym shorts and a lightweight cotton tank. She had multiple fans set up around the room, all pointed directly at her and blowing full blast, though the most they were doing was just pushing the hot air around. The windows had been thrown wide open in an attempt to coax a cool breeze into the room, but that had yet to occur, and Hermione had been laying there for the past hour and a half, soon after she had arrived home from work.

With a gusty sigh, she brought her hand to her forehead to push her damp bangs aside to wipe the sweat away. The heat had her brain feeling sluggish, which was far from what she wanted given the present state of affairs in the country. She wanted to be ready to go at a moment's notice to defend from the Death Eaters, and with her brain feeling like sludge, she had a feeling she'd be worse for wear in a battle.

She rolled to the other side of her bed to find a cooler spot. Hermione was feeling slightly irritable as well. Nothing of annoyance had occurred at work lately, unless you counted Reese being a bit distracted, which led to Hermione snapping at him more often than was thoroughly necessary, but it's not like it wasn't a normal thing. She just wished for some cooler air (and perhaps some alone time with Sirius as well).

The thought of her dark-haired bad boy lifted her lips in a small smile. Though the times were dangerous, she always felt completely safe when she was with him. He could always make her feel better after a stressful day. And he was always there to welcome her back with a crushing hug and several well-placed kisses when she would come back from a mission.

She didn't like to worry him when she went away on the missions, but part of her felt it was well-deserved payback for nearly scaring her to death when he went on the big Death Eater raid without telling her about it. She knew that Sirius worried about her to the point of it being nearly unbearable, but she worried just as much. Sometimes it was a struggle to keep focused on the mission at hand when at the back of her mind was the nagging fear that something would happen to her and Sirius wouldn't find out, or something would happen to Sirius while she was away and she'd come back to catastrophe.

She mentally shook herself and sighed deeply again. She needed to stop being so pessimistic. It was nearly impossible these days, but she knew that if she tried to think positive, it might help to improve her overall morale.

There was a knock on her door. She rolled over in time to see Sirius poke his head in. She gave him a brilliant smile and motioned for him to come in. He returned her smile and ambled over to where she laid on her bed. She patted the spot next to her and he obliged, stretching out with a small sigh.

"How was work today, love?" he asked after a few minutes of content silence.

"Productive. Reese wasn't around again, oddly enough. I can't figure that one out."

He turned his head to look at her. "But you can't stand the bastard."

She laughed. "True. I don't know why I'm complaining."

Sirius picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. "I came to inform you that dinner is ready."

She giggled as his kissed trailed down her wrist and arm. He had a way of completely distracting her from more important matters. It wasn't fair.

"Dinner? Who needs dinner?" she asked slightly breathlessly.

He grinned at her wickedly. "What's the matter, Hermione? A bit distracted?"

She gave a small groan as his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh of her wrist. With great effort, she managed to pull herself into a sitting position and took her arm back.

"Let's go downstairs to the kitchen before Ginny gets suspicious and sends Harry up to see where we've gone to. I wouldn't want to scar him for life," she teased.

Sirius scowled but leapt lightly from the bed to follow her to the door. He grabbed her hand as they walked out and kept close to her the entire way down to the kitchen. He couldn't get enough of her today. Perhaps it had to do with the nagging feeling he'd had at the back of his head all day; something felt off, and he had a great sense of foreboding building within. He couldn't explain it in the least, but felt a good way to compensate for it was to stick close to his angel.

Ginny looked up as they walked in, slightly guilty looks etched on both their faces. She grinned slyly at the couple as they took their seats at the table.

"I was just starting to wonder where you had gone off to, Sirius," she said in a playful voice.

He shrugged in a nonchalant way. "Hermione was telling me about her day."

Hermione ducked her head and allowed her hair to hide the delicate blush gracing her cheeks as she grabbed her goblet of wine.

"Oh? Eventful day, Hermione?" Ginny asked lightly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, really," Hermione responded in an offhand way as she lifted her goblet to her lips.

Sirius winked at her from across the table as she glanced at him. Her cheeks flushed darker as she thought of their little moment upstairs minutes ago. The man was going to be the death of her, never mind the war.

Sirius noticed Harry seemed a bit subdued after a few minutes of quiet as they ate. He didn't seem to have much of an appetite, as all he really did was push the food around on his plate.

"Long day, Harry?" he asked his godson.

Harry sighed. "Yeah. It's been a bugger of a week, really."

Ginny sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder soothingly. "What's the problem now?"

He set his fork down, took his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Kingsley's informed me that there's a very good chance something big is going to happen in the next few days. What exactly it is, he's not sure, nor is Dumbledore. It's bloody unnerving. We're not sure if we're looking at an attempt on the Ministry or if Voldemort's got something worse planned."

Hermione felt the bite of roast beef in her mouth turn to sawdust. With great difficulty, she managed to swallow it, but she had to drain her goblet to get it down all the way. She looked up into Sirius's face and saw her look of panic and worry mirrored there. Ginny, too, looked horrorstruck.

"Is there nothing anyone can do, then?" Ginny whispered after regaining some of her composure.

"Nothing but wait," Harry said grimly. "We've just got to make sure we're on our toes the next couple of days. We can't afford to be caught unawares. At least we know something is coming. It would be worse to not know."

Sirius's hand drifted across the table top to grab Hermione's where it rested near her plate. It was ice cold and shaking. She glanced up at him again, struggling to get a grip on herself. Sirius saw her lower lip trembling and gave her hand a forceful squeeze.

"We're going to get through this, you guys. We're going to be fine. We have to be. Without us and the Order, what will become of the world? We can't give up. Not now, not ever. Everyone's depending on us. We're it," Sirius said forcefully.

Harry sighed. "You're right, Sirius. We've got to stay strong to get through this. We can't crumble now, not when we don't even know what we're facing. We can do it. We've got to. We've got no other choice."

Dinner was very subdued after that. Even little Sophie picked up on the somber mood of the adults and was very quiet. No one seemed to have much of an appetite, so it was more a matter of pushing food around the plates rather than eating.

Sirius retreated upstairs with Harry when he took Sophie up to bed, leaving Hermione and Ginny to clean up the kitchen from their near-wasted dinner. The women were lost in their thoughts, each hoping with all her might that things would work out in favor of the Order, whatever might happen in the next few days.

Later, Hermione retreated to the surprisingly cool and dim library. She fully intended to distract herself from the unpleasant turn of events in life, and was determined to drown herself in a book until she grew tired enough to drift into a hazy sleep. As she found the library refreshingly cool, she had half a mind to just fall asleep on one of the couches so she could be cool and comfortable while she slept.

The quiet coolness of the library was just what she needed. With a grateful sigh, she sprawled out on a couch with her book and adjusted the pillow under her head. She propped her knees up to act as a book rest and flipped her book open to the first page.

She found herself quickly enveloped in the plot of the novel and lost all sense of time and location. Her plan to distract herself was working, but at the expense of ignoring Sirius, who had wandered into the library a good ten minutes ago and had since been trying to get Hermione's attention, to no avail whatsoever.

Sirius had distracted himself long enough with his godson's darling daughter as he played with her and her dollhouse for a good hour after dinner. It was mindless entertainment, and easy enough to forget life's predicament for the moment. So he ambled down the stairs to see what the rest of the house's inhabitants were up to.

It came to mind that he might find some mindless distraction with his beautiful girlfriend as he took the stairs at a careless pace. That thought halted him, and his mouth turned up in a saucy grin. He turned right back around and took the few stairs he had already descended at a much quicker pace. Sirius paused outside Hermione's bedroom door and knocked quietly, his heart rate picking up as he thought of all the ways he could distract himself (and Hermione) from the impending doom that Voldemort was threatening. But there was no answer. He carefully cracked her door open an inch or so to see if his angel was sleeping. The room was dark and there was no sign of Hermione anywhere.

Slightly disappointed, he shut her door and set off back down the stairs again. His second guess was to find her in the library. That was one thing he learned about finding Hermione in this enormous house. When in doubt, check the library.

Sure enough, there she was, stretched out on one of the couches with her nose in a book. Her brow slightly furrowed, she took in the book at a voracious pace; Sirius watched her eyes skate across the pages of the book at full speed. He wondered how she could even begin to process what she was reading. He took advantage of her preoccupation to study her. He noticed that she unconsciously chewed at her lip as she read, one hand on the book, the other resting lightly near the base of her neck. Her fingers tapped lightly at her pale skin as she plowed through her reading.

Sirius smiled as he looked at her. He knew that she was reading as a means to escape reality for the moment. It was nice to see her face untroubled by the latest developments in the war. It had been a few weeks since he had seen her brow furrowed from something other than the war.

He decided to be bad and interrupt her reading. He knew she would be annoyed with him, but once he settled himself on the couch with her, all irritation would vanish and he'd be able to coax a smile out of her and it would make his day a little more worthwhile.

"Hermione," he said softly, watching for the moment when her attention would shift from her book to him.

She didn't respond. Brow still furrowed, fingers still tapping away, she continued reading.

Undaunted, Sirius tried again. "Hermione."

But again, there was no change. Sirius sighed. Hermione was buried deep in her book. She probably wouldn't be surfacing any time soon. He cast his eyes around and decided to settle in the nearest armchair to her couch. Then he could be obnoxious and annoying and catch her attention some other way.

At long last, Hermione realized she wasn't alone. Slowly surfacing from her book, she regretfully lifted her eyes from the pages to cast a wary eye around the room. With a start, she caught sight of Sirius sitting in an armchair not far from her couch, out of the range of her lamp and cast in shadows.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, love," he said, a small smile on his face.

"How long have you been sitting there?" she asked, sitting up in a more comfortable position and stretching her neck out, feeling it crack and pop from being slightly bent for a long time.

"Oh, a good ten minutes or so," he replied, grinning now as he stood and crossed the short space to join her on the couch.

Hermione looked sheepish. "You tried to get my attention, didn't you?"

Sirius nodded. "Only a few dozen times."

She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, Sirius. You know how I get when I get wrapped up in a book."

He kissed the top of her head lightly and rested his cheek there. "I do indeed. I'll remember to bring a blow horn with me next time."

Hermione giggled. "That won't be necessary."

"Oh? And how else do you think I'm going to get your attention?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe next time, you'll actually be around when I settle in to read. Then I won't get so involved."

"Using me as a distraction, eh?" Sirius mused.

Hermione nodded against his chest as she idly traced patterns on the skin of his forearm. "Something like that, yeah."

Sirius smiled at her attention to his arm and allowed his hand to lightly rub up the side of her own arm, his cheek still resting on her head. They sat in silence like this for several minutes, his hand still rubbing up and down her arm, her fingers still tracing idle patterns against his own arm.

Sirius allowed his hand to trail up her arm, reaching the exposed skin of her shoulder and collarbone. Deciding to be sneaky, he let his fingers trace along her collarbone. Her response was instantaneous; her breathing hitched briefly, then sped up. Goosebumps erupted along her arms and she gave an uncontrolled shiver.

"Am I distracting you now?" he asked silkily.

She sighed as his fingers continued along her collarbone. "Yes."

He turned his face and let his nose run down her soft hair until he felt her ear hidden away behind it. His other hand came up to push away her silken tresses and he allowed his nose to trace around the shell of her ear. Much to his delight, she shuddered slightly as she felt his warm breath on her ear.

Sirius trailed his nose down a little further and nuzzled the side of Hermione's neck, placing soft kisses here and there as he went. Hermione could do nothing but sit there, paralyzed, as he continued his ministrations. This man could leave her absolutely breathless and dazed. Slowly though, her brain shifted back into working order as Sirius continued to assault her neck in the most sinful way. She caught her breath and moved almost before she had decided to. She twisted around and deftly moved to straddle Sirius's lap.

Sirius was pleasantly surprised, though not taken aback. Once she had settled herself comfortably, he continued his assault on the warm skin of her neck, his hands resting gently on her hips. When Hermione felt his lips trace down the skin of her neck, she couldn't help but groan a little at the back of her throat. Sirius heard her, which only spurred him on.

Little did they know, Harry and Ginny were making their way down the stairs toward the library, having just put Sophie down for the night. Both were eager to relax with the couple and distract themselves as well. They had no idea what they were about to walk into.

Sirius allowed one of his hands to slide up the back of Hermione's shirt to caress her back as he trailed butterfly kisses across her collarbone. Hermione leaned her head back to allow him better access as she softly moved her hands along his shoulders and upper arms.

Ginny came to an abrupt halt at the door when she saw what was going on.

"Oh my. . ." she breathed out, not having the decency to avert her eyes from the scene before her.

Harry, puzzled by his wife's reaction, peered around her to see what her problem was. His eyes widened at the sight in front of his eyes. Then his brain processed what he was seeing.

"Gaaaaahh," he couldn't stop from groaning as he turned away.

A peculiar sound diverted Sirius's full attention from Hermione for just a fraction of a second. He looked up to see Ginny and Harry standing in the doorway; Ginny looking at the two with satisfied happiness, Harry with his eyes looking anywhere but them, his face slightly pale.

"Looks like we've got company," he murmured against Hermione's sensitive skin.

Hermione surfaced from her pleasurable reverie slowly and turned to see what was distracting Sirius. When she saw Ginny and Harry standing there, she gave a startled squeak and hastily moved so she was no longer straddling Sirius.

"Well, are you going to stand there all night looking like fools or are you going to come in here and join us?" Sirius asked teasingly.

"Looks like you two were having a good time. Sorry we interrupted," Ginny teased in her turn.

Hermione felt her cheeks flame as Harry and Ginny sat down on the other couch. Harry looked rather disturbed, which Sirius picked up on immediately.

"What's the matter, Harry?"

Some of his color returned as Harry furiously processed what he just saw. "Just. . .just don't let me see. . ._that_. . .or anything like that. . .again."

Sirius chuckled. "Fair enough. We'll keep it behind closed doors from now on."

Hermione felt the coolness of the library vanish as she grew distinctly warmer in her embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to get so completely wrapped up like that. This was Harry and Ginny's house now, and she was their guest. And here she was making herself out to be a common whore in their library!

"Hermione, it's fine. I'm not bothered in the slightest," Ginny said with a twisted smile as she watched her best friend turn hot around the collar.

She looked up to see Ginny grinning at her mischievously and wondered how steam wasn't pouring out of her ears at her intense embarrassment. Harry looked over at her and gave her a slightly sheepish look, almost apologizing for walking in when he did.

"That won't happen again, Harry, I swear," Hermione squeaked out, shifting slightly in her seat so that she wasn't even touching Sirius.

Sirius laughed at her antics and threw an arm around her shoulders to pull her back to him. She squeaked again but gave up struggling against Sirius's strength. It was no use, and she was probably better off anyway.

"So," Sirius started to break the slightly awkward silence, "how's life?"

At that, the tension broke, and they all dissolved into laughter. It was precisely what the four adults needed at that moment, for they had no idea how all hell would break loose the next day.

* * *

Hermione Apparated off to the Ministry the next morning filled with anxiety and unease. She had tried to get a decent night's rest to be prepared for whatever came her way, but she had, needless to say, failed miserably. Her midnight hour tea had done nothing to soothe her turbulent mind, and she had tossed and turned for hours.

Regardless, she held her head high as she reappeared in the Atrium of the Ministry. She put on a brave face and made her way through security, as she usually did. Today, though, she felt slightly unclean, as though she were contaminated. She felt as though she was being watched, and the urge to constantly look around to see who was there was growing stronger with each passing minute. She mastered the impulse and instead marched purposefully to the lifts and descended to the ninth level to begin her day in the Department of Mysteries.

Much to her surprise, she found Reese scribbling away at his desk in the office when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at her, offering her a brief hint of a smile before returning to his parchment.

She didn't know what was stranger, Reese's extended absences in the past weeks, or finally reappearing at his desk with the air of actually wanting to get something accomplished. Hermione wondered if she should mourn her loss of total silence in the office, or feel slightly grateful that she was no longer alone in the creepy Department.

She settled at her desk and pulled her case files out of her messenger bag before stowing it away under the desk near her legs. She shuffled through them, recalling what she had been working on and thought of where to start.

"You look tired this morning, Hermione," Reese commented after a few minutes of silence, save for the scratching of quills.

She shrugged, looking up from her notes. "Long night. Not much sleep."

Upon closer inspection, Reese seemed to look nearly as good as she felt. He was slightly pale about the face and beads of sweat were gathering near his hairline, though it was quite cool in dark recesses of the Department. She glanced down at his hands to find them slightly shaking. He noticed her survey of his physical appearance and attempted, as was his annoying habit, to make a joke of it.

"Like what you see, love?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I have something much better waiting for me at home."

Reese gave her a strange look. "Don't make him wait too long today."

For some reason, his look and retort unnerved her. What did he mean, don't keep Sirius waiting too long today? What a bizarre thing to say. Given the present circumstances, Hermione was very rattled by their little exchange, but could think of nothing else to say. She turned her attention back to her work, but found it very hard to concentrate on what she was supposed to be taking notes on.

The morning wore on slowly; it didn't help that Hermione was glancing at her clock every ten minutes or so, often pausing after scribbling out a few sentences to see if she could hear anything out of the ordinary going on above her in the Ministry. She tried to pass off these brief spells as an opportunity for her to stop and stretch after being hunched over her work so that Reese wouldn't detect anything funny about her behavior.

While she pretended to stretch and listen for anything out of the ordinary, Hermione would covertly study her fellow employee as he worked. There was something odd about him today, as there was generally about his behavior in the past weeks. It was unlike him to not be in the office much. She knew that there was probably a logical explanation for it; she hadn't spent much time in the office while she was researching the Veil and its mysteries. Maybe Reese had been assigned some task that required more of his time outside the office investigating. She wanted to believe that was what the deal was, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Reese was a competent worker when he wanted to be, but to believe that the Minister or some higher-up had assigned Reese a case that required work outside the office was slightly laughable. Reese didn't have quite the ambition as she did to tackle a case that required more concentration.

The noon hour finally rolled around, and in silence, both Reese and Hermione stood and left the office to grab a bite to eat. They split up at the Atrium, Hermione strolling off through the busy area toward the cafeteria, Reese appearing to head out to downtown London to grab some food.

Hermione casually surveyed her surroundings as she entered the cafeteria. It didn't seem like there was anything unusual going on at the moment. Many of her fellow workers were scattered about the giant eating area, some deep in conversation with their Ministry friends, others choosing to continue going through files or reading the _Daily Prophet_ while they ate.

Hermione grabbed a sandwich from the line and a bottle of water and paid for her meal, opting for a small table off to the side of the main hubbub so she could better survey the situation and be ready should anything happen while everyone was eating.

Thankfully, all remained peaceful while she was able to scarf down a semi-nutritious meal. She took the opportunity to sit back and try to relax for the first time since she had first set foot in the building this morning. She still had ten more minutes of her lunch break left, so she figured she might as well use them wisely and try to calm down for a bit.

Hermione felt slightly better as she made her way back down to the Department. Her stomach was full and her mind a bit more peaceful. She felt like she could concentrate better on her tasks. She also felt slightly hopeful that this day would go by quietly and she'd make it home safe and in one piece.

Reese hadn't returned yet when she emerged at the bottom of the stairs. Hardly concerned with it, due to his recent absences, she settled back in her chair and seized the chance to dictate her reports to her quill, allowing her hand a break from writer's cramp.

She got through quite a lot of her reports once she finally settled herself to them. She found she didn't look at the clock once while she breezed through her reports. It was a shock then, to be startled out of her work mind frame by the arrival of an owl with a note in its beak.

She recognized it immediately; it belonged to the Minister himself. Slightly confused as to what the Minister could want with her now, months after Sirius's return, she shook herself and reached out for the note, which the owl deposited in her hand before giving a soft hoot and flying off.

Hermione unrolled it and read through it quickly. It appeared the Minister wished to discuss something with her, and he wished to see her immediately. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. She had been rather involved in her report writing. Now she was being thrown off her sync. She might as well just call it an afternoon now. She glanced at the clock and was slightly surprised to see that it was nearing three in the afternoon.

As she rode the lifts up to the Minister's level, Hermione realized that Reese never returned from lunch. It wouldn't have bothered her on any other day, but he normally would have said something offhand to her about not being in the office for the rest of the afternoon. After his unnerving look and comment earlier, Hermione wasn't so sure he was actually on a work-related assignment.

She stepped off the lift at the Minister's open office space and walked through the numerous desks toward his personal secretary. Hermione was slightly surprised when she got a good look at the woman; she wasn't Minister Cornwell's usual secretary who had normally greeted Hermione when she was still reporting to the Minister about the Veil.

"Hello," Hermione said, slightly uncertain, "Hermione Granger, here to see the Minister. I just received a note from him."

The woman looked up at her, a small smile on her face. "Certainly, let me go see if the Minister is busy. Just a moment, if you will."

The secretary walked around her desk and down the hall toward the Minister's personal office. Hermione was again puzzled. Normally when the Minister sent for her, she was allowed to just walk right in. She wondered if his old secretary had quit for some reason. This woman clearly needed to learn how things were done around here.

Within moments, the woman was back and smiling at Hermione again. "Minister Cornwell will see you now. Go right on back."

Hermione hesitated for the briefest of seconds before her feet cooperated with her and she walked down the hallway to the Minister's office. Something nagged at her, but she just shrugged it off to the kind of day she was having.

She knocked before entering, as she always did, just to be polite. She heard the Minister's muffled reply for her to enter and she quickly stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Minister Cornwell was seated behind his desk, as usual, numerous stacks of files situated around him.

"Ms. Granger, have a seat, please. Anything to drink for you?"

"No, thanks, Minister. I'm fine," Hermione declined as she sat down.

She looked up at the Minister, who was smiling at her. Perhaps she just wanted to find fault with everything today, but she got an odd feeling that something here , too, was amiss. Again, she tried to shrug it off.

"How are things coming along down in the Department of Mysteries, Ms. Granger?" Cornwell asked her sociably.

Hermione shrugged. "It's business as usual, sir. Nothing of great interest to report about. I'm just going about my usual tasks."

"Good, good. Jolly good," Cornwell muttered, shuffling around on his desk for something.

Hermione sat and watched him in silence. She couldn't fathom what he wanted with her. She was getting her edgy, unnerved feeling back again, and she didn't like it at all.

"Ms. Granger, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor," the Minister said finally after a few more minutes of rummaging.

"Sir?"

"Well, I've been meaning to have Mr. Black in here to speak with him. See how things are going for him now that he's back in the real world. I was wondering if you could perhaps speak with him on the matter and ask him when a good time for him would be."

Internally, Hermione sighed. She wasn't in trouble or anything of the nature. "Certainly, sir. I can do that for you. Is there any time that doesn't work for you?"

Cornwell chuckled. "Oh, no, not at all. Whenever works for Mr. Black will work for me. I can rearrange my schedule if I have to."

He looked up at her again and smiled. Suddenly, Hermione realized what was wrong. The force of it hit her over the head like a sledgehammer. The Minister was smiling rather vacantly at her.

_He had been Imperiused._

Hermione's stomach rolled and she had to control the urge to jump up and run away. She swallowed hard to keep from vomiting. How had this happened? There were wards all over the office to keep the Minister safe, as well as all over his house to keep his family safe too.

Another realization smacked her in the face. The new secretary had come back here to tell the Minister she was here. That's how he was placed under the Imperius Curse. That woman was working with the Death Eaters. She was one of the moles.

Hermione's heart was racing in her chest, making her adrenaline rush around her body. She felt her limbs tingling with the energy. She had to get out of here and inform Harry or Kingsley on the sly. How she would manage that without being overheard was beyond her; but she'd figure that out as soon as she was able to get out of this office and breathe to clear her head.

"Very well, Minister. I shall ask Mr. Black tonight when I arrive home from work what will work for him, and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can," Hermione said in what she hoped was an even voice as she stood to leave.

"Thanks very much, Ms. Granger," the Minister said in a rather flat voice behind her.

Her hand was on the doorknob when that little nagging voice told her to not present her back to the enemy. On the pretense of shaking out her long hair, Hermione chanced a look behind her. She ducked just as the Minister muttered a curse and an angry red jet of light erupted from his wand, which was pointed right at her.

The curse missed her by a hair, though the scent of burned hair caught her nose as she rolled and grabbed her wand as it slid down her sleeve. She gave a wordless shriek as, glancing up at the Minister again and seeing the wand pointed right at her, Cornwell cast another spell at her.

She tugged at the door and found it locked. Without a second thought she blasted it out of her way and charged out of the office, Cornwell bellowing curses at her all the while. Wand at the ready, she stalked quietly down the hallway, though blasting the door to bits had surely alerted those in the outer office area that something was amiss.

A scene of total devastation greeted her eyes as she came to the end of the hall. Most of the other employees who had been working away when she had been out here ten minutes ago were strewn about the floor, all of them dead. Hermione took another cautious step out into the open area, her wand held out in front of her.

Instantly, it seemed, there were numerous loud popping noises and four or five dark-cloaked figures emerged from thin air, all wands pointed right at her. Curses rent the air and Hermione dove sideways to escape most of them. She barely had time to draw a breath before more came her way, and she rolled numerous times to dodge them all. She dragged herself behind a desk and found herself next to one of the murdered workers, eyes staring blankly at her as she looked down.

Forcing herself not to succumb to her quickly mounting hysteria, Hermione quickly cast her Patronus and sent it off to Kingsley and Harry down in the Auror department. If this was what had happened here, she was sure things were no better elsewhere in the Ministry. This was it. This was the beginning of the end.

Footsteps were drawing nearer, and Hermione knew her moments of hiding were coming to an end. Taking another deep breath to steel her nerve, she jumped to her feet and starting hurling hex after hex and curse after curse at her attackers, running all the while toward the lifts, which, miraculously, were still hanging open.

She backed into the closest one and pummeled the buttons with one hand while managing to keep an eye on her attackers. Her wand was waving furiously through the air, casting quick spells to incapacitate the Death Eaters that were closing ranks on her.

Thankfully, the lift shuddered to life just as the nearest Death Eater raised his wand to deal her the death blow. With a sarcastic wave, she sank out of sight. She could hear the Death Eaters disappointed roars as the lift carried her downward.

Hardly able to rest for even a second, she got on her guard again as the next floor came into view. She sank into a crouch, wand held aloft as she tried to see what was coming before she got there. The sight before her wasn't pretty. There was a huge gaping hole in the wall in front of the lift, and the smell of burning wood reached her nose. She pummeled the buttons again, hoping to get away before more Death Eaters came into sight.

Her heart had yet to calm its violent beating in her chest. She found herself nearly gasping for air. How on earth was she supposed to get out of here alive? And what about Harry and Kingsley? She couldn't leave without them. She had to make sure they were all right.

And then, at the back of her mind, Sirius's face threatened to engulf her thoughts. She worked to keep that locked away. She couldn't afford to be distracted now. Her life was on the line, along with her dearest friends. And if something should happen to them because she wasn't paying attention, she would never forgive herself.

The lift shuddered to a halt at the level where Harry and Kingsley would be in the Auror department. Again, she was on her guard for an outbreak of fighting once she sank into view. She could hear echoing bangs and yells as the grilles slid open for her to disembark. She quickly looked both ways down the hallway. It wasn't pretty.

Kingsley was off to her right, holding off the Death Eaters that were trying to attack from that side. His wand was moving so fast it was merely a blur, and as she watched, he ducked and rolled several times to avoid being hit by the dozen or more spells that kept just narrowly missing him.

Off to her left, she saw Harry holding his own against six or so Death Eaters. He was backing up toward Kingsley. It appeared they were going to keep backing until they reached the lifts and then make a run for it, hoping the moment they disappeared in the lifts would create confusion for the Death Eaters, who would wipe a few of their own with the curses meant for Harry and Kingsley.

Hermione was torn. She didn't know what to do; either help Harry and Kingsley, or stay in the lift and keep it ready for just the right moment so they could escape unscathed?

She ducked as a rogue spell came within inches of her head. Kingsley caught sight of her as he ducked and rolled again.

"Hermione! Get out of here! We've got this!" he bellowed.

She dithered on the spot, absolutely torn. Harry heard Kingsley's yell and glanced back, keeping one eye on the fight in front of him.

"You heard him, Hermione! Go! Get out of here! We're fine here!"

She ducked again as another spell just barely missed her. This was no time for heroics, but she couldn't take off and leave her friends behind. She edged back toward the lift, judging the two men's distance from the lift as she backed away. They were both nearly the same distance, and if they kept moving at the same pace, she could time their meeting just right, just in time for them to jump into the lift as the grilles slid shut and they could get out of there.

She backed into the lift just far enough so she was out of hitting range and kept an eye on both of her friends. They were taking some chances holding off the Death Eaters. Harry's robes were smoking and Kingsley was bleeding from a gash on his face. They had to get out of there, and they had to get out of there right now.

Hermione's hand was trained on the buttons of the lift, waiting for the right moment to yell for the men to jump in. Just a few more feet and they were in the clear. She felt as though time was taking forever as they edged all the more slowly toward the lift. It was nearly impossible to keep her shaking hand from pressing one of the buttons accidentally.

Finally, both men edged into view from both sides of the lift. Hermione waited for the absolutely last second. And then, she pushed the buttons.

"GUYS! NOW! JUMP IN!" she screamed.

As though in slow motion, both Harry and Kingsley turned, seeing what her plan was. The grilles started to slide, and Harry launched himself forward. Kingsley jumped at the last second, still holding off the Death Eaters. With a crash, the grilles slid shut. Kingsley had just barely made it, though his robes got snagged in them as they closed.

He panted to catch his breath as he torn his robes free from the grilles. "Hermione, what the hell were you thinking, waiting for us? You should have gotten out of there when we told you to!"

Hermione huffed at him. "I just saved your ass. Think I could get a thank you for it?"

Harry grinned at her for just a moment. "You're the greatest. Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione felt like she was choking on her heart as she struggled to form words to ask what was going on. "What's happening? How did the fight break out?"

Kingsley wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve before answering. "We got your Patronus, Harry and I. He was in my cubicle when it came. We didn't even think. We both jumped up and tried to make a run for it to the lifts. Out of nowhere, hexes and curses started flying. I don't know how they got in, but the damn Death Eaters were everywhere. And when we finally got free of the Auror department, they were coming at us from the other end of the hall."

Hermione took a deep breath to try to steady herself. "How many dead?"

Harry sighed. "A fair few. The bastards managed to kill off a few of them that were out of sight of Kingsley's cubicle. We had to step over them as we retreated."

Hermione heard the emotion he was trying to keep locked away and laid a comforting hand on his arm. "We're gonna get out of here, Harry. Don't worry. We've all got each others' backs."

"There's no point in trying to assess damage elsewhere. We've got to get out of here, and we've got to get out of here fast," Kingsley asserted, still mopping blood from his wound.

"I agree, the sooner the better," Harry affirmed, pulling Hermione around as the next floor came into sight.

They stared as they caught sight of the blood-spattered walls, but mercifully, there were no bodies in sight. Wands held at the ready anyway, they slid out of sight once more.

"Wait," Hermione cried suddenly, her brain finally catching up to what was happening, "where's Tonks?"

Harry and Kingsley both hung their heads. Hermione felt as though she was drowning. It couldn't be. Not Tonks!

"We don't know where she is. She was supposed to be at her desk, working on some report to hand in to me by the end of the day. But we didn't see her as we were getting out of there. We didn't see her on the floor either," Kingsley said finally.

That was hardly better than a confirmed death, but Hermione had to hold on to some kind of hope as they descended closer to the Atrium, which was bound to be a bloody and confused mess of Ministry workers and Death Eaters.

At long last, the lift halted once more and chaos reigned. The Atrium was a disaster. Ministry workers were running everywhere, screaming and yelling as they tried to escape with their lives. There were Death Eaters everywhere, laughing and swearing as they cut down the innocent people as they fled.

The grilles slid open once more and the three burst out of it, wands waving and throwing curses before they had cleared the lift. They moved as a team this time, careful to watch the others' backs as they moved toward the exits. They were going to get out of here alive, even if it cost them a little bit to get there. Hermione would settle for wounded. Wounded but alive, she could work with that. It was the death part of the deal that she flat out refused to accept.

The three carefully picked their way across the chaotic Atrium, trying their best to save their own necks and the ones around them who were trying to escape safely. It was tough, but they were getting there, slowly but surely. It was nearly impossible to keep an eye in all directions, so they took turns rotating in different directions, hexing the closest Death Eaters while trying to cast protective charms strong enough to repel the Dark curses that filled the air.

Hermione saw Harry clap a hand to his forehead as they rotated again.

"Harry!" she yelled, seeing him screw his face up against the pain that was clearly building in his scar.

"I'm fine! Pay attention to what you're doing!" Harry yelled back, his face still contorted as he tried to hold on to what was going on in front of him and kept from succumbing to the visions he would surely see through Voldemort's eyes.

"Harry, what is it?" Kingsley bellowed as he rotated out with Hermione, putting him closer to Harry.

And then Hermione saw it as she watched Harry's eyes go blank. If they didn't get out of there right now, they were all dead.

"Fuck! He's coming! We've got to get the hell out of here, and we've got to get out of here now, dammit!" Harry yelled, breaking out of his lapse into Voldemort's mind.

"How close?" Hermione screamed as she rotated with him this time.

"Less than five minutes! Let's go!" Harry roared, grabbing Hermione's hand in his own and all out sprinting toward the end of the massive hall, still throwing curses left and right as he ran.

"Kingsley!" Hermione shrieked as she was pulled along.

"I'm on it!" he hollered as he followed close behind, paying attention to what was behind them as he came.

"Kingsley! Catch hold of Hermione!" Harry ordered, drawing up short as they neared the end of the hall.

Kingsley threw out a hand and caught hold just as Harry spun on the spot. Instantly, they were pressed into nothingness. They had escaped, but barely.

It was a blessed relief to reappear outside Grimmauld Place, though they didn't linger. They rushed up the steps as soon as it appeared to them, all but slamming the door behind them. Harry started casting protective charms the moment Kingsley cleared the door. His charms were mingled with swear words and his arm shook as he tried to cast the charms effectively.

Hermione placed a hand on his arm and lifted her own wand. She wasn't in much better shape than he was, but she could keep the swearing (and screaming) under control for just a bit longer at the expense of keeping the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place safe.

There was muffled thudding, and then the door that revealed the stairs to the kitchen was flung open, Ginny standing there with wide eyes, taking them all in.

"What's happened?" she cried, rushing to Harry after seeing Kingsley's bleeding face.

Sirius appeared seconds later, taking in the scene before him for the briefest moment before rushing to Hermione, where she still stood, having just finished the last of the protective charms. She swayed on the spot, and Sirius grabbed her up into his arms to keep her from falling.

"It's happened. They've got the Ministry. Cornwell was placed under the Imperius Curse and tried to do in Hermione. The Ministry has fallen," Kingsley declared.

"We made it out just before Voldemort got there," Harry said, wincing as he felt the pain associated with Voldemort's fury sear his scar.

Ginny gave a whimpering cry and wrapped herself closer to her husband. Kingsley stood there, weary and unsure. He rubbed a hand across his face, groaning quietly as he hit the wound on his cheek.

"Kingsley, let's go downstairs and get you cleaned up," Ginny said in a small voice, grabbing his arm as she let go of Harry to steer him down the steps.

Hermione buried her face into Sirius's neck, unable to stop her shaking now that she was home safe and sound. The hysteria that had been building for the past hour was threatening to spill over. It was right there at the back of her throat. She felt she could either throw up or scream, though she wanted to do neither. She settled for a whimper that bordered a sob.

Sirius held her closer as he carried her down the steps to the kitchen to join the others. "It's okay, love. You're safe now. No one can hurt you."

He settled in one of the armchairs that was tucked in the corner closest to the fireplace, keeping Hermione as close as possible on his lap. She couldn't seem to let go of him. Not now. She was so afraid that she was going to lose all this, that she wouldn't make it out alive. She had been bloody terrified the entire time, though she kept it mostly locked away where it wouldn't distract her. Now that she was home, it was all ready to come spilling out, though she didn't want to let it out at all. She wanted to be strong.

Kingsley leaned against the table as Ginny patched him up. He kept the swearing to a minimum as she cleaned the wound and gently tapped it with her wand to heal it.

"How did you three manage to get out with just a few scrapes?" Sirius asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Sheer bloody luck, that's how," Harry said roughly as he sat with a butterbeer clutched tightly in his hand.

"How did this all start?" Ginny wanted to know.

"Cornwell had been Imperiused. He had a new personal secretary who had gone to see if he was available when I turned up," Hermione said softly, staring at the wall in front of her as she replayed the entire scene in her head.

"Why did Cornwell want to speak to you?" Sirius asked, slightly bewildered.

She turned her head to look up at him. "He wanted to set up a time to talk to you, and wished me to ask you when a good time would be."

"It was probably a ruse, Hermione," Kingsley said as he felt the job Ginny did on his cheek. "That's better, Gin, thanks."

Ginny returned to Harry's side and wrapped an arm around him, leaning into him. "So this was what the impending doom was."

Harry nodded as he took a sip of his butterbeer. "This was doomsday. We're lucky we made it out. So many others did not."

Sirius carefully rocked Hermione as she gave another great shudder. "Where's my cousin? Didn't you see Tonks?"

"We don't know where she is, Sirius. We're sorry. We didn't see her when we got out of the Auror department. She was supposed to be there, but at least we didn't see her on the floor with some of the others," Harry said softly, apologetically.

"She'll have made it out," Ginny said with some forced confidence. "She's gotten out of some pretty tight spots before."

"I hope so," Kingsley muttered, his head resting against his hand as he stared into the fire.

Hermione kept her head leaned against Sirius's shoulder as the evening wore on. She was unable to move, unable to keep herself from replaying what happened over and over in her head. She wanted to rip her brains out, to be without a single, bloody thought. The empty eyes of the worker in the Minister's office kept flashing to the forefront of her memory. It was killing her slowly. She felt great remorse that she couldn't have saved any of them. What she would have given to have saved all those who had died a few short hours ago.

Shortly after the clock struck nine, Sirius rose from his chair, carrying Hermione with him. He took her up to her room, carefully settling her on her bed. He pulled her pajamas out of her dresser and carried them over to her. He was worried immensely about her. She hadn't said anything more during the course of the evening after she explained what set off the fall of the Ministry. Now she sat on her bed, staring vaguely at the space in front of her, not moving.

Sirius ran a gentle hand down her cheek to comfort her before he carefully peeled her out of her clothes and got her into her pajamas. He took great care with her, not moving her more than he had to, not making any sudden movements that would scare her. After he had dressed her, he pulled the covers down on the bed and lifted her legs so she could lie down.

"Stay with me, Sirius," she whispered as he stood back up.

He looked down to see her huge almond eyes staring up at him, pleading with him to stay. He could see how she was haunted and scared.

"I'll stay," he said softly, picking her up gently and moving her over so he could have some room to lie down.

The moment his head hit the pillow, Hermione moved as close as she could get to him. He wrapped an arm around her as she cushioned her head on his chest, throwing an arm across his chest to pull herself, if possible, closer than she already was. Sirius could feel that her heartbeat was still much too fast for her current location. It was eating at him that she still felt so unsafe in this house, even after all the protective spells she cast after they came through the door.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione. I won't let anything or anyone hurt you. You can calm down now, love. You're safe here. With me, you're safe," he whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

She snuggled closer. "I know. That's why I asked you to stay."

Sirius felt his heart jump a little at her words. He couldn't describe the intense feeling he got from those words. He wrapped his other arm around her, keeping her as close as she wanted to be to him.

"Get some sleep now. You're okay. We're going to be okay."

She nodded sleepily against his chest, and started to drift off. Sirius could feel her heartbeat slowly returning to normal. With a fervent prayer to Merlin in hopes that his cousin Tonks was all right, he allowed his own eyes to drift shut and felt himself drifting off to a blessed darkness.


	12. No Other Way

**Disclaimer:** Oh to be in Hermione's place at this moment. . .errrr, hang on. Not mine, yeah, that's it, that's what I meant to say, heh heh. *looks sheepish*

**A.N.** I apologize for the incredible wait for this chapter. I had a horrible writer's block that I just couldn't get around. Then I finished up my first year of college. Then I literally worked my butt into the ground all summer. Then I went back to school, only to come home sick after the first week of classes, and it turns out I have mono. I've been recovering from that, but more problems have arose in my life. Miraculously, I found that when I turned to this as a source of distraction, it worked quite well. I will try my hardest to not wait so long to update again, my dear readers. Thank you so much for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Twelve:** No Other Way

The room was completely silent, save for the ragged breaths issued by its sole occupant. The only light came from a torch hung just inside the door. The windows were tightly boarded, giving no indication as to whether it was night or day.

It mattered very little to her. The attack on the Ministry, though expected, had nonetheless jarred her to her very core. And in her slight moment of panic, she had allowed herself to become vulnerable. And because of that minute moment of panic, she was now trapped.

It didn't matter to them that she had been injured in the downfall of the Ministry. It was laughable to say the least. Why would a bunch of murderous Death Eaters care if she was already hurt? She thought she knew pain before; it was hardly a comparison now, after the continuous beatings and curses and hexes.

The air left her lungs as a hiss as she tried to prop herself against the wall. There was pain everywhere, right down to her hair follicles. They had done a good job on her, she was forced to admit. But she would never break. She'd take every last bit of information to the grave with her, if it was necessary. Like hell was she going to betray the Order and Harry.

The Order. The thought nearly brought a groan to her lips, but she held it in. She wouldn't let any of them hear a sound out of her, so long as she was there. She wondered what the Order must think at this very moment. She wondered if they had figured out that she was being held captive, or if she was just simply hiding out until it was safe for her to return to Grimmauld Place.

And Remus! Oh, Merlin, what he must be going through right now. Her heart clenched in her short moment of agony as she imagined her husband's reaction to her disappearance. She could only hope that he wouldn't do anything rash in an attempt to find her. He needed to keep a level head as much as she did right now. Doing anything to compromise the Order wasn't an option at all. Her life wasn't worth it in the slightest.

She sat in the silence, trying to take stock of what was broken and what was just badly injured. It hurt to draw in breaths of air, so she was pretty sure she had a few broken ribs. Her wrist ached, though she thought it was just sprained. Her ankle had been twisted viciously when she had fallen due to a trip jinx cast at her when she was captured.

The physicality of her injuries hardly bothered her. She was more worried about the Death Eaters using Veritaserum on her to get her to talk. She would put nothing past them in their desperation for information on Harry and the Order. She could put up with the torture. She hadn't endured the brutality of her Auror's training for nothing.

She thought about her situation carefully. If it came down to it, she would ask for death before she gave anything up. She wasn't going to betray everything that she and the Order had worked for. Her heart squeezed at the idea of leaving Remus all alone, but hopefully it wouldn't come to her death and the Order would manage a rescue mission.

The door banged open then, cutting her musings to an end. Five or six Death Eaters filed into the room, smirking under their masks at her bruises and wounds that they had caused. She glared up at them all defiantly.

"Ready to talk yet, Nymphadora?" Lucius Malfoy sneered at her.

"You'll get nothing out of me, Malfoy," Tonks spat.

"Are you sure about that? You'd be saving yourself a lot of suffering if you'd only give us some information," Malfoy said delicately.

"Rot in hell," Tonks said through gritted teeth, bracing herself for what she knew was coming.

* * *

"Nymphadora Tonks has been kidnapped by the Death Eaters."

The kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place was dead silent with shock. Every face was pale and white, reflected in the candlelight as they were all turned to face Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster himself was a picture of intense graveness and worry.

An emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix had been called for the night following the downfall of the Ministry. Nearly every member was present in the kitchen at the moment; there was hardly room to move and it left the room feeling tight and claustrophobic. Hermione, already on edge from the attack on the Ministry, was finding it difficult to control her emotions and kept biting back tears that were constantly threatening to overflow.

Once the initial shock of Dumbledore's words wore off, heads turned toward Remus Lupin, who had yet to say a word and was sitting at the table near Dumbledore with his head in his hands. They could not see his face, but his grief was painfully plain to see. Hermione found she could hardly look at him, for his grief touched her deeply; the hole that had been left by Ron's death had still not quite healed, and she knew all too well what Remus was feeling at the present.

She tried to remain positive though. They didn't know if Tonks was dead or alive, and it was all they could do to hold on to that shred of hope that she was, in fact, still living and breathing. But all these years of dealing with the Death Eaters had left her hope diminished greatly. She knew what they were capable of, and it would be a miracle to get Tonks back in one piece, let alone alive.

"What are we going to do about this, Dumbledore?" Sirius spoke up after a few more moments of quiet.

The old man sighed. "We will have to come up with a near fool-proof plan to rescue her. We simply cannot charge into this without a plan. And to be safe, we should have a back-up plan as well. I know she is your cousin, Sirius, but please, I beg of you, do not do anything foolish that would only endanger your life as well as Nymphadora's."

Sirius sat back, slightly insulted that the headmaster thought he would just go off half-cocked to rescue his cousin. He may be a man of action, but even he was not foolish enough to go tangle with the Death Eaters without back-up.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Hermione placed a comforting hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. He felt his annoyance recede and returned her smile while placing an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him on the bench.

"We need to start planning then," Remus finally spoke up.

"Of course, Remus. We shall. But keep in mind that good plans take time to draw up. We don't want to do anything that would risk Nymphadora's life. We want to get her out of there safe and sound," Dumbledore said gently.

"So do I, Dumbledore, but the more time we waste sitting around not doing anything could be less time that my wife has," Remus said in a voice that he was forcing to remain calm.

Dumbledore exchanged a glance with Minerva McGonagall, who gave a resolute nod.

"Then let us plan. Those who wish to help rescue Nymphadora should remain here in the kitchen. Otherwise, this meeting is concluded," Dumbledore dismissed.

There was an upswing in murmurs and mutterings as those who decided to leave swung their cloaks on and prepared to depart. Ginny stood up and made to follow those departing up the stairs, but she stopped next to Remus.

"Forgive me, Remus, for not offering up my services. But Sophie-"

Remus laid a hand on her arm. "No explanation needed, Ginny. You've got the little one to look after and someone's got to do it. You're a mother now. You don't have to justify anything to me."

She smiled at him and patted his shoulder comfortingly before turning and ascending the stairs to let the rest of the Order out.

Hermione stayed stubbornly planted in her seat, despite the look that Sirius was now giving her. She ignored him and surveyed who was left in the kitchen. Harry sat across from her, his face serious and set. The Weasley twins, Bill, and Charlie were clustered together at the far end of the table, all looking solemn. McGonagall stayed seated next to Dumbledore, now murmuring quietly to Remus, who was doing his best to keep his emotions off his face, though his lips kept quivering ever so slightly. Hagrid, big as he was, stayed put in the big open space off to the side of the table, where he had managed to stuff himself when he arrived before the meeting, though with difficulty. Kingsley had pulled out some parchment and was now scribbling furiously on it, pausing now and then to think, his brow furrowed. Hermione could tell that he was already starting to pull ideas together for the rescue mission.

Hermione suppressed a smile, feeling it was the wrong time for that reaction. There were plenty of people here who cared deeply enough about Tonks to get her back. With this many of them backing a plan, she couldn't help but feel a small rise of hope swell in her chest.

"Hermione."

With a sigh, she turned to face the owner of the voice that spoke quietly but firmly in her ear. Sirius was looking at her with suppressed irritation.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked in a half-exasperated tone.

"What's it look like? I'm going to help plan out how we're going to rescue Tonks."

"No, you're not," he said firmly.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Who's going to stop me?"

"I am. You're not getting involved in this," Sirius said in a voice that clearly said the matter was closed.

Hermione ignored this. "You're not going to stop me, Sirius. She's just as much a part of my family now as she is yours. I care about what happens to her just as much as anyone here, and I have just as much right as anyone to help save her. And you, or anybody else for that matter, are not going to stop me."

Sirius closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to find some patience. Merlin, his witch was stubborn as hell and a spitfire when she was riled up. Normally, he loved that about her, but right now, she was really testing the waters.

"It's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt, or end up in the same position as Tonks," he tried to reason with her.

"Nice try, Sirius. I've been helping the Order since I finished school. I was in worse danger when Harry and. . ." she drew up short at the thought of Ron, but plowed resolutely on, ". . .and Ron and I were on the run when Voldemort took over Hogwarts briefly. I'm used to danger, I've done this a million times. I've got to do this, Sirius. And you can't stop me."

Sirius sat there for a few moments in silence, surveying the stubborn witch sitting on the bench next to him. He could tell she was quite set in her decision, and there was no changing her mind. He simply had to accept that she was going through with this, whether he liked it or not.

While Ginny moved about quietly in the background making dinner for those who remained in the kitchen, Dumbledore led them all in a discussion of tactics and possible ways of rescuing Tonks. Kingsley, tired of trying to keep up with all the ideas everyone was putting forth, bewitched his quill to keep up with the near-endless stream of ideas.

"As much as I dislike the idea of having to throw one of our people to the wolves in order to bait the Death Eaters," Sirius finally spoke up after several long minutes of discussing the positive advantages of putting a member of the Order out in the wide open as bait, "we really don't have much to work with in the way of better options. However, thinking logically here, shouldn't the main concern right now be where exactly Tonks is being held?"

Dumbledore peered over the tops of his spectacles at him; he looked almost surprised. "Sirius, surely you aren't forgetting that we have Severus?"

Sirius resisted the urge to curl his lip. "No, I'm not forgetting. But can we truly count on him in a moment of desperate need such as this one?"

Remus looked between the two, torn between the absolute look of trust on the old headmaster's face and the highly doubtful look on his best friend's face.

"Sirius does bring up a good point, Dumbledore," he said finally, after several seconds' silence.

The old man sighed. "I have said time and again that I trust Severus. If I can trust him, there should not be any question to his loyalties. We can rely on his information to help us get Nymphadora Tonks back from the Death Eaters. Now, if we have cleared that up, shall we return to planning this rescue mission?"

Hermione was slightly shocked by the irritated tone the headmaster was using. She had never heard him so much as raise his voice, even when he was clearly angry. She supposed that it was the strain of the current situation that was getting the best of him. It made her sad to see that even the strongest among them was starting to crack under the torment that Voldemort was inflicting upon the world.

"So we bait them," Harry spoke up, returning them to the topic at hand.

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, it seems to be the best option. We bait them, then we can infiltrate and get to Tonks."

"Surely there has to be another, better way of doing this," Ginny interjected almost desperately as she began to bring dishes of food to the table. "We can't just throw one of our people to those animals."

"Ginny, it's war. We all have to make sacrifices," George Weasley spoke up.

"But at the expense of someone else's life?" she cried. "We don't need to lose another member of our family, in case you're forgetting, George!"

"How can you even suggest that I'd forget my own brother?" George growled angrily.

"All right, calm down, you two," Hermione stepped in. "Ginny, there's no way that George could ever forget Ron. None of us will ever forget him. But he's right, this is war. We knew what we signed up for when we joined the Order, and we just have to accept that there are certain dangers that are inevitable. We all are trying to do our part to make sure the Death Eaters and Voldemort are taken down. Don't you want Tonks back?"

Ginny hung her head. "Of course I do, but there just has to be a better way of going about this!"

"Gin, if you can come up with a better, idea, we'd be delighted to hear it," her brother Charlie said.

Ginny sighed. "I love Tonks as though she was my sister. But I'm no war strategist. All I want is for her to come back to us, safe and sound, and to not lose any of you in the process."

"And we will plan this out so that nobody gets hurt," Kingsley assured.

"That's all I can ask for, then," Ginny conceded. "But before you get too involved, you all are going to eat this dinner that I made. You can't plan a good mission if you're hungry."

Everyone chuckled as they gathered all the pieces of parchment they had scribbled on already and organized them. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore Vanished them for safekeeping until the meal was over.

* * *

The last clock Sirius passed had read a little after midnight. The streets of downtown London were relatively quiet, but it was the middle of the week, and most people who worked were tucked away in their beds sleeping.

Not Sirius. He roared down a nearly empty street on his motorcycle, not paying attention to where he was or where he was going. His mind was on other things. He was still working at getting his temper under control. His temper was the reason he was out on his bike in the first place. If he had remained back at Grimmauld Place, he would likely have not resisted the urge to throttle someone.

Knowing full well who he would end up throttling, he had chosen the safer, if not slightly childish, way out of the situation. He stomped off up the stairs to his room to fetch his leather jacket and stormed from the house, revving his bike to near obscene decibel levels before squealing out of the square.

He still could not believe what had transpired once dinner was finished. Of all the things to happen, he was not expecting the series of events which had occurred. Moreover, he could hardly believe what Hermione had done. He thought he had gotten her to move past her reckless tendencies she had harbored when she was still wrestling with coming to terms with Ron's death.

"I guess I thought wrong," he muttered angrily under his breath as he went ripping past King's Cross station.

Honestly, what went on in that witch's head? He knew she was looking out for Tonks' best interests, but so were the rest of the Order. Did she have to volunteer to do something practically suicidal? Did he not make her happy? Was there something he could have done different to keep her from choosing to do something so absolutely stupid and dangerous?

Sometimes, Sirius swore that she did things just to spite him. For some reason, she just loved to push his buttons just to see what would set him off. It was rather amusing most of the time. . .except for when she was throwing her life so carelessly on the line.

He had to smirk though, when he remembered the looks on Ginny and Harry's faces when Hermione declared that she would volunteer to be the one who would bait the Death Eaters during the rescue mission to save Tonks. If looks could kill, Hermione would be spared the trouble of worrying whether or not Sirius was going to throttle her when he arrived home.

Sirius supposed that Hermione's desire to bait the Death Eaters had to do with his sick and twisted cousin Bellatrix. Hermione was most likely hoping to exact revenge upon her, revenge that was four years in the making. Knowing full well how women could be when they held a grudge, Sirius knew Bella would have her hands full when Hermione finally unloaded on her.

"Hell hath no fury. . ." Sirius quoted to himself, shaking his head.

Regardless of whether Hermione's reasoning was revenge or not, he was still furious with her, and she was not going to be let off the hook so easy. She thought she could just throw caution to the wind without a second thought, but now that Sirius thought about it, she was only making the mission more dangerous. He would never voice this idea aloud, for fear that someone would misconstrue his meaning and think that he didn't value the lives of the other members of the Order as much as he valued Hermione's, but those involved in this mission cared just as much for her as they did Tonks. She was putting them doubly at risk for something to go wrong, or for someone to slip up unintentionally because they wouldn't be one hundred percent focused. They would be worrying about Hermione getting hurt, or killed, or taken captive as well.

If one of the older members of the Order had volunteered to be the bait, Sirius knew he would have no problem with it. But Hermione was twenty-five years old and she still had a fair bit of her life left to live. And Sirius did not go to all the trouble of making her see that for nothing. He was not going to let his love go into this lightly. Not without a fight.

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep. It was an impossible feat, what with her best friends angry at her and her hopelessly stubborn wizard out careening around London on that bike of his, avoiding her.

She rolled over on her side in her bed, thinking about what she had done earlier. It made sense to her at the time, volunteering to be the bait for the rescue mission. There was no way that they were going to let Harry put his neck out there. They needed him for the defeat of Voldemort. Only he could be the one to do that. The Order would never let him risk his life over a trivial rescue mission.

Hermione rolled her eyes at that thought. It was hardly a trivial rescue mission. Tonks was a valuable part of the Order, not to mention Remus Lupin's wife. This rescue mission was important, though when put side-by-side with the eventual mission to bring down Voldemort for comparison, it paled greatly.

She was worried. Merlin, was she ever. She knew she had volunteered for a near-suicide mission. She was well aware of what the risks were, thank you very much. Everyone was acting like she hadn't thought this through. She had thought about it the entire time they had been planning. If anyone was going to do it, it was going to be her, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. If they wanted to get angry about it, fine, but they would have to get over it before they went to pull the mission off. Anger didn't belong on the battlefield. Well, all right, it did, especially if it was revenge.

At the idea of anger and revenge, Hermione's thoughts turned to Bellatrix. Oh, what she wouldn't give to bring that bitch down. Terminate her. Let her downfall be at Hermione's will. Hermione was slightly surprised by her sudden bloodlust, but she felt she was rightly justified.

The revenge was second to Tonks' rescue, however. Tonks's life was first and foremost. If they could just manage to get her out safe and sound, and then get everyone else back in one piece as well, it would be a bloody miracle. But they were strong. They all were excellent fighters and kept level heads in the times of crisis. They were united and they all had each other's backs. Surely there had never been such a strong group of people so willing to put their lives on the line for the safety of the rest of the Wizarding world?

The old Order could serve as an adequate comparison. Hermione thought about Harry's parents, of Neville Longbottom's parents, of Molly Weasley's brothers Gideon and Fabian. They had all given their lives to protect someone and everyone. All she wanted to do was to manage the same thing. She wanted to protect everyone. And if she had to put her life on the line, then so be it.

She sighed. She hadn't heard any noise outside her room for awhile. She assumed Harry and Ginny had gone to bed. Sirius had yet to return from storming off in a rage. She didn't know who she would rather face at the moment. She had been chewed out soundly by both Harry and Ginny after Sirius had stormed from the kitchen.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Harry practically blustered in anger.

"It makes more sense for me to do this than you!" she reasoned earnestly, hoping they would see her logic.

"And it would make more sense for anyone else sitting here to do it than you!"

"Why's that, Harry?" Hermione had asked indignantly.

"Because I know how your temper is lately and you tend to act a bit rashly when you're pissed off! You have to be able to keep a level head, Hermione! And how's the rest of the mission going to fare if we're all worried whether or not you're going to be able to keep calm? We can't afford to lose focus on this one! Tonks's life is at stake here!"

"I'm well aware of that, thank you. I've got a hell of a lot less to lose if something should happen. You've got a family now. Everyone else here has a family," Hermione snapped, realizing as soon as she said it that it was the wrong thing to say.

Ginny puffed up in anger. "What about Sirius, Hermione? What about him? He's not family? We're all a damn family here, in case you've forgotten! We all care deeply about each other's best interests. And you're just going to put your life on the line, just so willing to piss it all away. . ."

"I care about Sirius!" Hermione cried, pounding her fist on the table. "I know you all are my family. Just let me do this, okay? I can handle it. And think about it, who's blood would they want more after Harry's? I'm a part of the Golden Trio. They'd love nothing more than to have a go. They see me, and they'll just jump at the chance to kill me. Then you all can get in and get Tonks, and all we have to do after that is get the hell out in one piece."

The Potters had merely glared at her after that. Neither had spoken to her for the rest of the evening. Hermione figured it was safest to let sleeping dogs lie and decided she wouldn't force her company on them; of joining them in the library once everyone had left, she retreated to her bedroom, where she had remained ever since.

It was nearing a quarter after midnight and Sirius still wasn't back. She was worried about him, but knew he had left to cool off so he wouldn't say or do anything stupid. Hermione was sad that he couldn't accept her decision in a more adult manner, but she remembered that he had always been that way: hot-tempered and high-strung. She knew she was due for an ass-chewing from him as well once he returned; she just hoped he would get home soon so that she could get it over with now instead of facing him in the morning.

She decided she would take matters into her own hands. Rather than wait to see if he would confront her when he returned, she climbed out of her bed and threw her robe on before padding softly out into the hallway and up the next set of stairs to wait for him in his bedroom.

She curled up into a ball against his pillows and waited. Hermione breathed in deep and his scent filled her up. Perhaps it was a bad idea to come here and wait for him? Being in his domain, with his things and his scent and everything that was just so _Sirius_ was weakening her willpower to put up a halfway decent fight for when he confronted her.

She tried valiantly to stay awake to see him in, but it was impossible. Coupled with the stress of the day and being comforted by just being in his room, Hermione found her eyes growing heavier and heavier as the minutes passed. Before the clock struck half past midnight, she was fast asleep.

* * *

Sirius crept into Grimmauld Place around one in the morning. He hung his jacket on the coat rack inside the door and kicked off his boots before tiptoeing up the stairs. He decided he'd wait until tomorrow morning to give his witch a piece of his mind. Riding around London with anger fueling his endeavors had worn him out. Right now, all he wanted was his bed and his pillow.

When he pushed open his door and turned on the dim light on his desk, he found quite the surprise waiting for him. Hermione was curled, fast asleep, against his pillows, her hair falling gently across her face, one of his pillows tucked under her arm.

He couldn't help himself; he felt his anger lessening the longer he stood and watched her sleep. Sirius could see dark shadows under her eyes, and her mouth was drawn into a tight line. Normally she looked so peaceful while she slept, but he could tell that the stress of the day had her worn down. He sighed, thinking she could avoid half of her stress if she would just step back and let someone else pick up the slack.

He rubbed a tired hand over his face and went about stripping down and pulling on a pair of sleeping pants. He moved to the bed and carefully pulled Hermione's robe off without waking her, then gently peeled back the covers before climbing into bed with her. He pulled the sheet over them and scooted closer until her back was flush with his chest. Sirius pulled her little body closer and rested his cheek against her head.

The ass-chewing could wait. For now, he would just enjoy having Hermione safe and sound in his arms. Breathing in her scent, he let go of all his problems and fell into a deep sleep.


	13. Hermione Makes It Up To Sirius

**Disclaimer:** Never was mine, though I REALLYYYYY wish it was.

**A.N.** Thank you to those who still think this story is good, even though I fail at updating often. And a special thanks to those of you who wish for me to continue. I failed to see before that reviews are not the only indicator that people like what they're reading. And so I thank you for reading. Here's a Christmas present for you all.

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Thirteen: Hermione Makes It Up To Sirius**

Sirius groaned quietly as he stretched, having just woke from a deep slumber. He found it rather remarkable that he slept his best when his emotions were running high. As he didn't often sleep well, he was rather tempted to have someone piss him off every night just so he could have a peaceful slumber.

His eyes still closed, he rolled over, his arm searching for Hermione. He encountered no other body in the bed with him. Frowning, he cracked his eyes open to scan the room for her. He remembered how angry he was last night when Hermione offered herself up as bait, and though it still peeved him, he was much calmer now and wanted to talk to her about it.

His eyes alighted on her sitting in his armchair in the far corner of his room. Hermione sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting atop them. She had been watching him sleep; her large brown eyes now watched him warily as he took in her protective posture in the chair.

"What's the matter, love? Why aren't you in bed?" Sirius asked quietly, reaching out a hand toward her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sirius sat up and looked closer at her. She had dark shadows beneath her eyes and her mouth was drawn in a tight line.

"Merlin, Hermione, how long have you been sitting there watching me sleep?"

Hermione shrugged. "A while. It was still dark."

"I'm not mad anymore," he sighed. "Though it was rather stupid of me to just go charging out of here last night like a child having a temper tantrum."

He thought he saw her mouth twitch. "No offense, Sirius, but if there is one thing you're good at, it's having a tantrum."

He rolled his eyes but chose to ignore her little jab. He pulled the sheets back on her side of the bed and gave her a pointed look. With a bit of a relieved smile, she unfolded herself from the chair and crossed the room to climb back into bed. She snuggled close to Sirius's chest as his arms wrapped around her to hold her close.

"Are you truly not angry anymore?" she asked softly, listening to his heart beat quietly under her ear.

Sirius thought for a moment. "I'm not angry. I would say I'm more. . .irritated than anything. Do you know what this is doing to me?"

Hermione sighed. "I know you worry. I do. But I'm not going to just sit back and let everyone else do the dirty work. I want to help. I have to help. I know that I can be of good use, Sirius. You have to accept that. I've been doing this for quite some time now. I'm used to the danger. We all are. You have to accept that as well. You can't always be my knight in shining armor who protects me from all evil."

In spite of the subject they were discussing, Sirius's lips twitched at her last words. "You think of me as your knight in shining armor?"

He could practically hear her eyes roll. "That's not the point," she said dryly.

It was his turn to sigh. "Yes, I suppose I should get used to this. You're hardly going to sit back and let me do all the dirty work, are you? I didn't suppose so. But still, the very thought of you just throwing yourself to the wolves. . ."

"Sirius, I know how to defend myself. I'm not a brainless git, you know."

He chuckled. "No, no, you're hardly that at all. I just wish there was an easier way to do this."

Hermione tilted her head up to press a kiss to the side of his throat. "It's not like you'll be leaving me completely unprotected. Do you really think Dumbledore would let me do this if he thought the risk was too great?"

Sirius snorted. "I should hardly think not!"

"And I know without a doubt that you'll be out there to cover my back, as well as everyone else who is going to be involved in this rescue mission. Do you think that they'd let something happen to me?"

He growled. "If they did, they'd have me to answer to."

Hermione smiled. "See? So what are you worried about? Aside from the obvious, I mean."

It was quiet for a long moment.

"I don't want to lose you," Sirius finally whispered.

Hermione was caught off-guard by the raw emotion that suddenly filled Sirius's voice. She twisted around and propped herself up on an elbow to get a good look at his face. The anguish that he was feeling at the idea of losing her was plain to see on his face.

"Oh, Sirius," she sighed, leaning in to kiss him sweetly. "I don't want to lose you either. You know that. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

He lifted his hand to tangle in her unruly brown locks. "I don't think I would survive without you here, Hermione."

She felt her eyes fill with tears unexpectedly. "What are you saying, Sirius?"

"I'm saying that I don't want to live a life that doesn't have you in it. I don't want to give you up. I can't. . .no, I won't live without you. You brought me back, Hermione. And not just from the Veil, you brought me back to humanity. I look back now and see that I wasn't living. With you, I can breathe again. I love you, Hermione."

Hermione nuzzled his hand when he brought it from her hair to cup her face.

"Marry me," he said simply.

Hermione felt her eyes grow wide. Marry him? Marry him soon? Marry him at all? She had only really been "with" him for a few short months! Marry him?!

"Yes."

It was Sirius's turn to let his eyes grow wide. He was definitely not anticipating a quick response from her on this one. He was sort of banking on Hermione debating the issue with him as was her typical way. He was waiting for her to start listing the pros and cons of getting married. But wait. . .she said yes, didn't she? SHE SAID YES!

"Yes?" he questioned, just to be sure he was hearing her right.

She smiled. "Yes. Yes, Sirius Black, I will marry you."

Sirius was almost afraid to believe her. There had been nothing else in the world that he wanted more than a family. He knew he loved her, and he was pretty sure that she loved him back. Clearly she did, otherwise there was no way in hell that she would have just agreed to marry him. But still. . .life had a tendency to play cruel tricks on him, and this felt like the sort of moment in which life would choose to do so again.

"Really? You really want to marry me?" he asked tentatively.

Hermione actually giggled. Sirius was certainly acting funny. "Yes, Sirius, I want to marry you! I can see why you wouldn't believe me, but it's true. I haven't said it yet because I was waiting for the right time, but I love you too, and nothing would make me more happy than becoming your wife!"

The next moment, Hermione found herself pinned beneath him as he let out a joyous whoop and tackled her, showering her with kisses on her face and neck.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" he mumbled happily in between kisses.

Hermione giggled harder as his kisses tickled her. "I love you too!"

Sirius sat up and pulled her along with him. "I promise you, once this war is over and the Ministry has been restored to proper working order, we're going to get married the proper way, with a proper ceremony and the best of receptions afterward! Our wedding will be the one everyone remembers!"

"Of course it will! That will be the day all the single women in the world cry their eyes out because the infamous bad boy Sirius Black will no longer be on the market," Hermione teased.

Sirius huffed. "Oh please, as far as they're concerned, this bad boy's been off the market for awhile now, no doubt about it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Regardless, there are a few, erm, _slags_ out there to whom that would matter little."

He grinned. "Well then , I would simply tell them that they should take their dirty-"

"Sirius!"

"All right, all right, I'm done," he laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.

Hermione kissed him on the cheek and moved to get out of bed. "I think we should go inform the rest of the house of our good news!"

Sirius watched her pull her robe on and slip her feet into slippers before it occurred to him that he forgot something important.

"Wait a second!" he cried, literally springing out of bed, a mildly frantic look on his face.

Hermione frowned. "What's the matter, Sirius?"

He began rummaging through the top drawer of his dresser, looking feverishly for something. "I almost forgot the most important thing!"

A moment later, he gave a small laugh of victory and straightened up, looking at Hermione seriously.

"Sit," he commanded, pointing at the chair she was sitting in earlier.

Hermione sat down, looking thoroughly confused. "Sirius, what in the world-"

She instantly grew quiet when Sirius got down on one knee in front of her, his hand holding out a small black box.

"I wanted to do this the proper way," he said softly, watching her face for her reaction as he lifted the lid to the box to expose its contents.

She gasped softly as she took in the beautiful ring that lay nestled among the satiny interior of the box. Knowing how Sirius was, she fully expected to find a very large diamond staring her in the face, but once again, he truly surprised her, and did quite a good job of taking her breath away.

The band was intricately carved and designed in beautiful white gold. The largest diamond wasn't even a half carat, but it was absolutely flawless, a perfect round brilliant cut. Set around the centerpiece were smaller diamonds that sparkled even in the dim light of the room. As Sirius lifted it from the box, Hermione noticed the band design went all the way around the ring.

Sirius lifted her left hand into his and kissed it. "Hermione Granger, I love you more than life itself, and I don't think I could possibly go on living if I didn't have you by my side to support me for the rest of my days. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes once more and did nothing to stop them as they continued their way down her cheeks. She couldn't remember being this happy in a very long time.

She gave a watery laugh. "Yes! Nothing would make me happier, Sirius. Absolutely nothing."

He gave her a brilliant smile as he slid the ring onto her finger. He then twisted her hand around to admire it.

"It looks beautiful on your hand, love."

Hermione wiped at her tears of joy as she too admired the gorgeous ring. "It's absolutely stunning, Sirius. Where did you get it?"

"It's been in the family for ages and ages. I discovered it a long time ago among my mother's things, back when we were all living here originally when you lot were in your fifth year. Don't worry, I've had it inspected for curses and the like," he added hastily, seeing the suddenly alarmed look cross Hermione's face.

She sighed with relief. "Oh Sirius, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am right now. It's been a long time coming."

He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Indeed, it has. I'm happy you're happy, love. And I'm going to keep making you happy for the rest of your life!"

Hermione grinned. "Can we go tell the others the news now?"

Sirius stood from where he was still kneeling and took her hand in his. "I think that's a grand idea, Mrs. Black."

As Sirius led the way down the hall, she mused over what he just said. "Mrs. Black. Hmm. Mrs. Hermione Black. You know, that has a rather nice ring to it, Sirius."

"Of course it does, love. The Black name sounds wonderful with anything. Anyone would be proud to carry that surname."

Hermione snorted. "Oh please, your mother would have you _Avada'd_ where you stood if she found out you were marrying a Mudblood."

He looked back over his shoulder. "I'd rather you didn't call yourself that, Hermione. You're too intelligent and too brilliant a witch to sling that term around so casually."

"As you wish, love," she conceded.

When they entered the kitchen, they found the Potter family seated at the table, joined also by Remus, who was entertaining little Sophie by making her French toast sticks race around her plate with his wand.

"Good morning, all," Sirius greeted, towing Hermione behind him as he sauntered up to the table.

Ginny grinned wryly. "I see the two of you have made up."

Hermione peeked at her best friend tentatively. "We have. Am I forgiven by you and Harry as well?"

Harry peered over the top of the newspaper. "All is well, Hermione."

"Thanks, guys. Listen, I'm really sorry for making you so angry last night. . ."

"You've got to do what you've got to do, Hermione," Remus spoke up, looking up at her with a small smile. "You know Tonks would be furious if she found out you weren't going to help. And not because she'd be feeling hurt you didn't care. She'd be furious if you let everyone tell you what to do and not stand up for yourself."

"Cheers, Remus!" Hermione laughed as she sat down.

Sirius grabbed two plates and loaded them up with what was left of the French toast and some sausage links and dribbled syrup over the lot of it. He set a plate in front of Hermione and sat down beside her, indicating with a wink to not say anything about their engagement yet.

"So, you were really angry last night, Sirius. What made you calm down?" Ginny asked slyly.

Hermione knew full well where Ginny was going with this, and she frowned at the redhead as she chewed on her French toast.

Sirius merely grinned. "Oh, you know, sometimes a person just has to think about things and put them in perspective. It helps if the person you're angry with makes things up to you."

Hermione swatted Sirius's arm, but he just gave her a brilliant smile.

Harry cleared his throat. "Erm, Sirius, not that I'm not happy for you and Hermione or anything, but I _really_ don't want to hear about what goes on behind closed doors with you two."

"Oh, but Harry, Hermione made it up to me in the grandest of ways!" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus and Ginny laughed. Hermione now knew where he was going with this, so she no longer felt the need to blush at Sirius's suggestive tone.

"And how did Hermione make it up to you, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

"She agreed to marry me," Sirius said simply.

Ginny gasped and nearly lunged across the table to grab Hermione's hand. To help her friend out while keeping her from killing herself, Hermione lifted her hand and stretched it out for everyone to see.

"Oh, Hermione! It's beautiful!" Ginny squealed as she turned Hermione's hand this way and that to see the diamonds sparkle in the light.

Harry came around the table to give them both a hug. "Congratulations, you two! Hermione, are you sure you know what you're getting into by marrying this git?"

Hermione beamed at him. "Of course I do. And anyways, someone's got to keep him in line, right?"

Remus chuckled at that. "Hermione, I'm sorry to say this, but if you think you can keep old Padfoot in line, you've got another thing coming!"

"And besides, I have a feeling I'll be the one keeping _you_ in line," Sirius breathed in her ear, causing her to shiver.

Harry pretended to gag while Ginny giggled at Hermione's suddenly red face. Ginny had to admit, the more she saw these two interact with each other, the more she was sure it was a match made in heaven.

"Why is everyone so happy?" Sophie piped up, looking between all the adults with a confused look on her face.

"Because your uncle Sirius has asked Auntie 'Mione to marry him," Harry explained.

"Uncle Sirie is gonna marry Auntie 'Mione?"

"That's right, Sophie. And when we have the wedding, you're going to be the flower girl!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"Flower girl?" Sophie asked, looking more confused.

"You get to dress up in a pretty dress like me and your mummy and walk down the aisle and throw flower petals everywhere," Hermione clarified.

"Oh, okay. I can do that. Mummy says I'm good at making messes," Sophie declared.

All the adults laughed. Then Ginny turned to Hermione, beaming.

"Yes, Gin?"

"When you said Sophie gets to wear a pretty dress like you and me, does that mean. . .?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Gin, do you even have to ask? Of course you'll be my maid of honor!"

The men all clapped their hands over their ears as Ginny let out an ear-piercing shriek of delight and launched herself at Hermione again, hugging her with all her might.

"Whoa, okay Gin! You can let go! Can't. . .breathe!"

Harry pried his wife loose from his best friend with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Herms. You know how she gets."

She laughed as Sirius snaked an arm around her waist and drew her close.

"I told Hermione that our wedding will be the thing everyone remembers for years to come," he stated proudly.

"As if it would be anything else, what with me, my mum, and Hermione's mum planning it!" Ginny declared happily.

Hermione groaned. Knowing exactly how much alike Ginny and her mother were, and knowing full well how happy her own mum would be, she had a feeling this wedding was going to be the talk of the next few centuries.

"Have you set a date yet?" Ginny suddenly demanded, a very business-like look on her face.

Sirius and Hermione exchanged a look. "We wanted to wait until the war was over," Hermione said.

Ginny looked rather annoyed. "That could be ages! You're going to wait that long?"

"We've got all the time in the world, Ginny, calm down," Sirius placated.

"Nobody knows that for sure," Remus suddenly spoke up, having been quiet for several minutes now.

They all turned to look at him and saw the sudden, sad look on his face. Knowing instantly what he was referring to, Hermione stepped away from Sirius to go hug her former professor.

"Don't worry, Remus, we're going to get her back, and when we do, then we'll start planning the wedding. Because I'm sure Tonks would be absolutely thrilled to be one of my bridesmaids."

Remus smiled in spite of his sudden mood. "Oh, I'm sure she will. Just make sure you don't choose some ridiculous monstrosity of a dress for them to wear. Tonks would never forgive you."

"I'll be sure to not let that happen. Although," she broke off and turned to Ginny, "I _will_ be able to have some say-so in the wedding plans, won't I?"

"Certainly! But don't you dare choose pink dresses, or I will have to simply murder you. Do you have any idea how awful pink looks with my hair?"

"Fear not, Gin, fear not."

As they all settled back into the breakfasts, Hermione couldn't help but feel suddenly optimistic about the way things were going. Sirius was no longer mad at her, nor were Harry or Ginny. Sirius wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her, and she wanted nothing more than to finally have that family she'd been dreaming about for so long. She was going to become Mrs. Hermione Black, and though it could be months or even years before it happened, she was ready and willing to wait, because once they reached that finish line, she was going to have a man who loved her more than life itself waiting for her.

* * *

**There you have it, folks! I hope I did this chapter justice for you all. I didn't intend to go this route at all when I first started writing, but it seemed like the natural way to go. I do, however, feel I DID NOT do Hermione's engagement ring justice at all, so I've placed the link in which to find pictures of it in my profile. As always, thank you so much for reading and thank you very, VERY much for reviewing.**


	14. Meet the Parents

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never was, never will be. But I can dream, can't I?

**A.N.** My apologies for the incredibly long delay. This past semester at college was nuts, to say the least. I took advantage of my break before starting summer classes to update this. With any luck, I may have a new start to another chapter this week, and hopefully have another update for you soon! Thanks for hanging in there with me. Hope you all enjoy!

**Nobody Said It Was Easy**

**Chapter Fourteen: **Meet the Parents

Hermione stood outside her childhood home, staring at the front door with a growing sense of trepidation. She knew she couldn't put this visit off any longer; as it was, her mother would be deeply annoyed and grouchy that she had waited this long to come visit, and her father would be disappointed that he hadn't had the opportunity to pass judgment any sooner than this.

Sirius squeezed her hand, which felt cold and clammy. "Are you all right, love?"

She grimaced up at him. "Hardly. But I couldn't put this off any longer. My mother and father would both murder me."

"Oh, I don't really think they would do that to you, Hermione. They can't be that bad," he reasoned, hoping that he wasn't about to be disappointed.

"You know how unbearable I can be at times?" she questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say you're unbearable, love."

"You're missing my point," she frowned.

"Oh, all right, I'll bite. Yes, I know how difficult you can be at times."

"My mother can be ten times worse, if you'll entertain that thought for a moment."

Sirius did his best to keep his face from falling. "I'm sure she'll absolutely love me. There's no need for her to get difficult."

"And as for my father, well, don't be surprised if you get the third degree, the twenty questions times a thousand, and the ever famous 'what-are-your-intentions-with-my-daughter' speech," Hermione concluded as she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Sirius gulped as he heard footsteps approach the door from the inside. He had just enough time to compose his features into a relaxed smile before the door was flung open, and Hermione's mother stood before them, her face going from curiosity to elation to surprise and then finally to suspicion as she took in Sirius and the hand that was holding on to her daughter's hand rather tightly.

"Hermione! Darling, it's been so long! Come in, come in, what's this nonsense about knocking on the door at your own house? And who is your friend here?"

Hermione and Sirius moved through the doorway at her insistence. As she was shutting the door, Hermione looked up at Sirius and gave him what clearly was an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"Mum, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my mother, Jane Granger," Hermione introduced once her mother had turned back to face the two.

Jane surveyed this man with her critical 'mother' eye. Goodness, he was devilishly handsome, what with his shaggy dark hair, his glittering gray eyes, and the scruff gracing his face making him appear as though he hadn't shaved for a few days. He wore those odd robe things that she was all too used to her daughter wearing in the wizarding world, and he wore _leather_ pants. His grin lit up his whole face, she noticed, as she stuck out her hand to shake his. Lord above, was this in fact _the _Sirius Black, the one whom Hermione had brought back from that veil contraption?

Sirius could tell he was getting the once over by one incredibly over-protective mother, so he did his best to turn the full force of his charm on her. When she went to shake his hand, he deftly took it carefully into his own and covered it with his other hand, a gesture he hoped showed how pleased he was to meet her. Judging by the slight blush that graced Jane Granger's cheeks, he'd say he succeeded at damn near charming the pants right off her (though he would hardly do such a thing, she was his fiancée's mother, for crissakes!).

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Sirius Black," Jane declared in a slightly breathless voice.

Hermione smirked and shook her head from where she was standing behind her mother. If there was one thing Sirius Black was good at, it was winning over a woman within mere seconds of meeting her.

"Jane, love, did I hear the doorbell-? Well, pumpkin, this is a pleasant surprise!" Thomas Granger descended the stairs to find his beloved daughter, his wife, and a roguish looking fellow standing in the foyer.

"Hi, Daddy. I thought I'd drop in and surprise you and Mum. It's been awhile, I know, but there's someone I want you to meet," Hermione said, stepping around her mother and Sirius to greet her father with a hug once he'd reached the bottom of the stairs.

Thomas folded her into a hug while giving Sirius a rather inquisitive, searching look. Sirius offered a polite smile and a nod. He could tell that Hermione's father was going to be quite a different story from her mother. After all, they had come here today to tell her parents about their impending nuptials. And Sirius hadn't exactly asked for Thomas' daughter's hand in marriage, which would have been the proper thing to do, by his own standards. Come to think of it, Sirius was pretty sure that Hermione hadn't even told her parents that she was seeing someone.

"Daddy, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my father, Thomas," Hermione said in a somewhat gentle tone, as though she were trying to break things to her father as easily as she could.

"Ah, so this is the famous Sirius Black, eh? My girl brought you back from that veil thing, correct?" Thomas asked as he moved forward to grasp hands with Sirius.

"That's correct, sir. Without Hermione, I wouldn't be here today to meet you and your wonderful wife," Sirius declared.

Jane fluttered about somewhat nervously. "I'm afraid I don't have anything made to bring out for you two. Goodness, you just caught me completely off-guard! Why don't we go out onto the veranda and I can stir up some lemonade for us all?"

"That would be marvelous, Mrs. Granger," Sirius said with a smile.

"Oh, none of that nonsense, call me Jane!" she laughed.

Hermione traded a small grin with Sirius as they followed her mother through the kitchen and out the sliding door onto the veranda. He had definitely won over her mother, for the moment anyway. The three of them sat down at the table on the patio and waited for Jane to return with a pitcher of lemonade and glasses for everyone.

"So, Sirius, what have you been up to since your return?" Thomas asked after taking as sip from his glass.

Sirius set his glass down and turned to Hermione's father. "I've been doing what I can do help the Order out with the war."

"And how are things going with that?" Jane asked, looking mildly worried.

Hermione stepped in before Sirius could open his mouth and say something potentially damaging. "It's difficult, as you could understand, Mum. It's war, after all. But we're doing our best."

"Have you lost anyone recently?" Thomas asked rather boldly.

Hermione and Sirius exchanged a look.

"Remus Lupin's wife has been kidnapped," Hermione said finally.

Jane took on a sympathetic look. "That poor man."

"What's being done about it? Are you sure she's still alive?" Thomas wondered.

"We're almost positive that she's still alive. The Death Eaters want her alive for a reason. They're going to try to lure us out in numbers to wipe us out," Sirius explained. "But we've got plans in place so that something of that nature doesn't happen. We're pretty well prepared, actually. We've been having bi-weekly meetings to finalize rescue plans and the like."

Jane and Thomas both turned to Hermione, giving her stern looks.

"And what exactly is your role in all of this, Pumpkin?" Her father asked seriously.

Hermione looked indignant. "If you think I'm just going to sit back and let the others do everything, you've been sadly mistaken. I'm doing what I can to help out. But rest assured, I'm going to be perfectly safe. We've all got each others' backs. We've had the best defensive and tactical training anyone can have."

Her parents didn't look remotely satisfied, but Sirius was smart enough to change the subject.

"Really, this is such a depressing subject. Tell me about yourselves. I hear you're both dentists? What's that like?"

Thomas had a telling look on his face that said clearly he knew what Sirius was up to, but he went with it. "Well, it's an interesting job. . ."

Hermione sat back and let her parents hold court for awhile. It was better to let Sirius interact with them for the present moment anyway; he was buttering them up and warming them to the idea of him being a permanent fixture in their lives, though they had no idea what was coming.

"Hermione, darling, what have you been doing with yourself now that you're no longer going into the Ministry every day?" Jane asked after the subject of dentistry had been exhausted.

"Oh, just keeping myself busy. I help Ginny with the chores around the house and play with Sophie. Occasionally we tackle a couple of the rooms on the third floor and clean them out. I'm trying to help Ginny with some decorating ideas for up there. I spend a lot of time with Sirius too," she added with a grin.

"Oh? And what do you two get up to?" Thomas asked with an amused expression.

Sirius gave Hermione a funny look before answering the question. "We spend a lot of time in the library looking for anything that could help us with the war."

"Are you two dating?" Jane asked bluntly, looking between the two with a very interested look on her face.

Hermione had a slight moment of panic. She had forgotten how completely perceptive her mother was when it came to matters such as these. Leave it to her mother to cut to the chase so quickly and bluntly.

"Yes, we are," Sirius said to fill the silence, smiling at Hermione to reassure her.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Erm, actually, there's something we want to tell you both. And Daddy, I'd really appreciate it if you were completely open-minded about this, because I know how you are."

Thomas looked confused for a moment. "Sure thing, Pumpkin. Anything for you."

Sirius looked down into Hermione's face and saw the sheer look of panic in her eyes. He smiled at her again and tipped her a wink before taking her hand in his.

"I've asked Hermione to marry me," he declared, looking between both her parents to gauge their reactions.

They both looked equally shocked for a moment. Then Jane gave a little hop in her seat and squealed with delight.

"Oh, how simply wonderful! Hermione, love, I'm so happy for you! Of course, we had no idea that you were dating again, but this is certainly a brilliant surprise! That is, you _did_ say yes, didn't you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course I said yes, Mum. Do you really think I'd turn him down?"

"I'm rather glad you didn't, love," Sirius said with a grin.

Hermione glanced at her father to see what his face looked like. He looked rather thoughtful, and kept looking between his daughter and her intended, as though trying to determine how well they went together.

"Daddy, are you okay with this?" she asked tentatively.

He sighed, but then smiled. "As long as you're happy, Pumpkin, that's all I can ask for."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and then jumped up to hug her father. He squeezed her back rather tightly, but he was genuinely happy for her nonetheless. It was about time she had someone to take care of her and keep her from feeling alone. He had watched her suffer for far too long and she deserved this more than anyone he knew.

"Hermione, I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time! All the planning we have to do! This is just fantastic!" Jane exclaimed.

"Yes, I knew you'd enjoy this, Mum. I expect you'll want to help plan with me, Gin, and Mrs. Weasley. I know Molly would never forgive me if she wasn't allowed to help," Hermione said ruefully.

Jane beamed. "I must get in touch with the two of them immediately. There's just so much to do!"

Hermione placed a hand on her mother's shoulder to calm her down. "Just a minute, Mum. Sirius and I were planning on getting married after the war was over. We wanted to wait for things to settle down before we celebrated."

"But that could be ages away!" Jane declared, looking slightly horrified at the thought of waiting for so long.

"But it's the right thing to do. Besides, I don't think Remus's wife would forgive me if we got married before she was returned to us. She's Sirius's cousin, you see, and I was planning on having her as one of my bridesmaids."

Jane nodded understandingly. "That's so sweet of you, dear. Of course I understand now. We'll wait. But that doesn't mean that we can't have everything planned in advance!"

"Oh boy," Hermione muttered under her breath.

* * *

Two weeks after Hermione and Sirius visited her parents, the Order had their final meeting before the planned rescue mission to snatch Tonks from the Death Eaters was to take place. The kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place was packed that evening. Every person who had been in on the planning was there, and even those who weren't taking part in the mission were there to lend moral support and offer a helping hand if there was anything else that needed to be done. Hermione and Sirius also wanted to announce their engagement to the Order at the end of the meeting to share a bit of good news in the face of a terrifying new mission.

Dumbledore stood at the head of the table, Remus to his left, Minerva at his right. He motioned for them to come to order, and immediately, the kitchen went silent, all faces turned eagerly toward their leader.

"As you are all aware, this is the last meeting we will have before we carry out the mission to extract Nymphadora Tonks from captivity. Now, the plan is to carry on with the mission three nights from now. Those of us who are participating will meet here at Grimmauld Place at precisely eleven o'clock that evening, not a minute later, or you will be left behind. We will ambush the Death Eaters from three different angles once Ms. Granger has done her bit to distract them," Dumbledore explained.

Hermione felt Sirius shift beside her at the mention of her role in the plan. He still was not happy about it in the least, but he knew it was for the greater good and to get his cousin back. Hermione patted his knee comfortingly as she continued to listen to Dumbledore.

"Now, we will be operating under the pretense that Nymphadora is indeed still alive. This means we must be very careful about our attack. We will be aiming to kill or greatly incapacitate. We must not take any chances on this one, or else we could put her life in great danger. We will have to move swiftly, before the Death Eaters who are more than likely guarding Tonks have the chance to take care of her before we get to her. Any questions so far?"

There was a low murmur from everyone in the room as they all shook their heads.

"Excellent. Now, so as to save on time, I shall be designating who will be in what group according to our attack plan. Kingsley, Minerva and I shall head up each group. Right then, Charlie, Arthur, Bill, and Remus will be with me. Sirius, you and Harry will join Kingsley and. . ."

Hermione stopped listening after this. She wasn't going to worry as much now that she knew that Sirius would be with Harry and Kingsley. She didn't have to worry about too much else other than her role in distracting the Death Eaters. Once she had them properly distracted and the fire was turned on her, Minerva and her group would be at her back to help her keep the Death Eaters are bay.

"Well then, now that this is all settled, I expect to see you all before eleven o'clock three evenings from now. Those of you who are remaining behind will be expected as back up should we need it. If there is nothing else, then this meeting is concluded," Dumbledore finished.

Sirius stood up, Hermione following suit. "Actually, sir, Sirius and I have a bit of news to share with everyone."

The kitchen ceased movement for the second time that evening as everyone stopped preparing to depart and looked curiously at the couple.

Sirius smiled down at her as she took a deep breath. "We're getting married!" she said happily, lifting her left hand to show off her sparkling diamond.

Everyone exploded into a chorus of well wishes and congratulations for the couple as they moved forward to give them hugs and to shake Sirius's hand.

Molly Weasley enveloped them both into bone crushing hugs, which greatly surprised Sirius, as the two were often at each others' throats.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you both! Hermione, you're going to make a beautiful bride! I must get in touch with your mother soon so we can help you plan everything! And Sirius, I just know you'll do right by Hermione. You'll make a fine husband indeed. . ."

Hermione looked up at Sirius with a small smirk on her face and was surprised to find her betrothed actually blushing from Molly's praise. As Molly moved off, Hermione gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Ah, is my darling future husband actually _blushing?_ I don't believe it! If only I had a camera right now. . ."

Sirius growled low in his throat. "Quiet, witch, or you'll be sorry."

Hermione giggled. "Oh please, Sirius. I'm hardly frightened."

Sirius trailed a finger down her arm, from shoulder to wrist, leaving goosebumps erupting in its wake. He chuckled slightly and gave her a bit of a leer. "You should be, dear witch. You don't even know what all I can get up to."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his suggestive tone and look. "All the more reason for me to look forward to our wedding night and honeymoon, love."

"You mean I have to wait that long?" Sirius almost whined, a look of sheer pain on his face.

Hermione patted his cheek lovingly. "Patience, my dear, patience."

As she turned away to help Ginny get dinner going, she could have sworn she heard Sirius give another low growl, and mutter what sounded suspiciously like, "minx".

Charlie Weasley came over to clap Sirius on the shoulder. "Well done, mate! It's about time you two found some happiness. Hermione's a great girl and I think you two will do well together. Might as well be adding you to the family now, since Hermione's as good as part of it."

"Thanks, Charlie. I hope I live up to everyone's expectations," Sirius chuckled.

"Oh, I think you will, and then some, Sirius," Dumbledore interjected as he walked over to the two men.

Sirius was surprised, but greatly pleased by the headmaster's praise. "Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me."

Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder as well. "You two are well suited for each other, no matter what anyone says. You both complement each other greatly. I think you'll have a good, long life together. Just make sure I receive an invitation to the wedding," he added with a wink before departing.

Charlie chuckled as Sirius stared after the headmaster. "Dumbledore's off his rocker, no doubt about it. But hell, if he thinks you and Hermione will make it, then that's all the reassurance you need, mate."

Sirius beamed at the younger man. "I think you're right, Charlie. Dumbledore might be crazy, but if he thinks we'll make it, that's all I need."

He looked up and caught Hermione's eye from where she was watching him at the counter, a questioning look on her face as she looked between him and the departing Dumbledore. He simply shrugged and beamed at her, getting one of her pretty smiles in return.

Sirius felt as though he were on cloud nine.


End file.
